Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars
by Nightmare Alex
Summary: Chapter 21 in! Everyone probably thinks I'm dead! That is, if anyone remembers or even knew me originally... O well, please R&R.
1. Prologue

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Prologue  
  
Isaac sat staring at the cluster of half finished buildings next to the small outcropping of rock coming from the ground.   
  
"To imagine that the Golden Sun would be so destructive, I had hardly even thought about it" Isaac spoke aloud. It had been three months since the epic battle at Mars Lighthouse, three months since the Wise One had sealed Alex away, and Vale was destroyed. Isaac struggled with the idea of how much power was really unleashed when Alchemy was unbound. People who had previously not even had enough Psynergy to move a pebble could now cast spells as destructive as Ragnarok. "Did I do the right thing? Was it my place to unleash this power?"  
  
  
  
"Don't be stupid" a voice echoed from behind him, "we did what we had to. There was no other choice."   
  
"Ah, but Garet" Isaac replied, "what if there was another choice? What if we just didn't see it in time?"   
  
"Stop being such a pessimist Isaac, you sound like an old man" Garet answered. Isaac laughed. "You always know what to say, don't you Garet?"   
  
"Hey Isaac, Garet, what are you two talking about?" shouted a voice in the distance. Garet turned around to see Mia walking towards them.   
  
"Hey Mia, we were just talking about when we unleashed Alchemy, you know, not like it was something that changed the world or anything" said Garet sarcastically. Mia laughed, she and Garet were always good friends, and now they were more than just that. "Isaac here is still wondering if we did the right thing" he explained.   
  
"Isaac, what else could we have done? We did all that we could. Noting else could possibly be done." Mia said softly.  
  
"I just don't know" replied Isaac. "It just seems so unnatural. Remember how people were always amazed at our powers? How few Adepts there were? Now everybody seems to be an Adept. It's like suddenly, everyone is a master at some form of Psynergy. Even the children are learning to use simple spells like Earthquake when they are six or seven. It took all of us until we were seventeen to master that kind of power. It's just not right."   
  
" I know it may not seem natural at first" Mia said convincingly, "but it will calm down over time."   
  
"After all, what's the worst that could happen?" asked Garet.   
  
"I. . . I just don't know, Garet. I just don't know." whispered Isaac.   
  
"Well, that's enough of that" said Garet, changing the subject. "Let's go see how Jenna and Felix are doing trying to rebuild their house. You would like to see Jenna again, wouldn't you? After all, we haven't seen her for a few days with how busy we've been rebuilding the southern parts of town. A trip to the northern end will do us good. Besides, the workers might need some help, I bet she's busy yelling at them already." As the trio walked closer to the half-finished town, they could hear a girl's voice shouting furiously in the distance. All at once, they burst out laughing.  
  
In Contigo, a much different scene was taking place. The town was throwing a surprise party for the homecoming of the great hero Ivan. Shortly after dark fell, the entire town went to there places at the docks. In an hour or two, a great winged ship, with the head of a dragon at its bow could be seen, flying peacefully through the air. It slowly drifted downward, and came to rest gently in the waves. Three figures approached the ladder of the ship.   
  
"It was nice of you to sail us home" came one voice.   
  
"No problem Ivan, I was happy to take you home" replied a second.   
  
"I could stay on for the journey to Lemuria, you know, so you could fly and get there faster. I could find my way back somehow" a third voice spoke up.   
  
"No, no. There is no need for that Sheba. I will inform Faran that you are staying in Contigo, a town you found on your quest when I am going back. It is really not all that much trouble to not be able to fly. Besides, you should stay here, with Ivan. You two get along well, and besides, your destiny is here. There is no other place so associated with the sky from which you fell from besides Contigo" the second voice once again replied.   
  
"All right then, goodbye Piers, I hope to see you again sometime, maybe we could all get together, you know, us and Isaac and them" Ivan's voice rang out.   
  
"Yes indeed, perhaps" said Piers.   
  
"Goodbye" they all said in unison. With those last words, the ship slowly turned and headed down a narrow river, bound for the sea, and beyond that, the great land of Lemuria. As Ivan and Sheba walked toward the docks the villagers jumped out. "SURPRISE!!!" they all shouted.   
  
"AHHHH!!!" cried the two Jupiter Adepts in unison, both cloaking themselves in protective Psynergy.   
  
"Do not be afraid, young Adepts" Hamma's voice called out to them, "it is alright."   
  
"Oh, sorry, just a bit of habit there, it has been awhile since something this gracious has been done for us" replied Sheba.   
  
"Quite alright, quite alright" one of the villagers spoke up, "Come on now, let's go back to town, we have a great feast awaiting the return of our hero Ivan, and the the beautiful young lady who he has brought back from his quest." The group began their walk back to Contigo, with Sheba blushing all the way. 


	2. Ill News and Shattered Dreams

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter I: Ill News and Dreams Shattered  
  
It had been three years now since the day atop Mars Lighthouse. Vale was once again a beautiful village, surrounded by lush forests, with quaint old country-style houses, and a temple over the spot where Mt. Aleph once stood.   
  
"No no no Isaac, I can't have that bouquet, it has to be this one!" Jenna protested.   
  
"Why, why does the bouquet have to be that one?" complained Isaac, "why not that one?" he said, gesturing at one two rows above it.   
  
"She wants our bouquets to match, silly" Mia butted in. "After all, it is a dual wedding."   
  
Isaac turned and whispered to Garet "Do you understand any of this?"   
  
Garet just shrugged his shoulders in that I-dunno kind of way, and went back to trying to figure out what to wear. Isaac sighed, obviously exasperated. "All right, all right, jeez, maybe it would have been easier if Garet and Mia's wedding was on a different day" Isaac said.   
  
"How could you say that Isaac?" replied Jenna. "After all, we agreed a long time ago to have our weddings as a dual service."   
  
"Fine, fine, I was just thinking about it" Isaac defended himself. "Garet, have you heard from all the people we invited yet?"   
  
"Well, Isaac, almost all of them R.S.V.P-ed back. Ivan and Sheba said they would be happy to come, as well as Hamma, Feihzi, Hammet, and Iodem. I'm surprised that Iodem is coming, really. I thought he might still be a little angry that we couldn't save Babi, but he said he has no problem with it. In fact, he would be happy to come back, after all, we did help out a lot" Garet answered.   
  
"Yes, yes, that's all very good and all but, what about Piers?" questioned Isaac.   
  
"I dunno, we haven't heard from Piers since two years ago, shortly after he visited. He was talking about the Senate, remember, and how unruly Conservato and the rest of the Senate was getting? He said he was going to try and keep them from doing anything drastic. I bet you he's been terribly busy" Garet said, his voice slightly strained.  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence. No one had heard from Piers for so long, which was unusual, they had received some kind of letter, or maybe a visit about every three weeks up until his last one.   
  
"Hey guys, how's it going? Anything I could do to help? My little sister can only get married once, ya know" Felix's voice suddenly broke the silence.   
  
"Nah" came Garet's answer, "I don't need any."   
  
"None here either" both of the girls replied unanimously. Felix looked at Isaac. "All right, you can help me out" Isaac said slowly. "Cool" came Felix's reply.   
  
Three hours later, they were all out walking in evening, making conversation as they roamed about. Suddenly a voice broke the silence.   
  
"Isaac, Isaac!" it cried, "something terrible is going to happen!" The group turned about to see two shadowy figures running towards them in the distance.   
  
"Show yourselves, who are you?" Felix called. As the shadows came nearer, it was all too obvious who they were. The blonde hair, the purple eyes, the not-quite-as-impressive-as-the-rest-of-the-group physique, which was made up for with their invaluable spells and intelligence.   
  
"Ivan, Sheba, what is wrong?" Isaac yelled. Ivan and Sheba made it to the group, and all at once words came flying out of both of their mouths.   
  
"Whoa, whoa whoa. We can't understand a word you're saying, calm down" said Garet coolly. "Sheba, tell us what happened."   
  
"A-All right" faltered Sheba. "I had a dream one night, a dream that all of the members of us, you know, Ivan, Piers, you guys, and me were dying off one by one. Even Kraden succumbed. In fact he was the first. I thought that my dream was a sign, because I do not dream often, and you know us Jupiter Adepts, the future somehow appears to us in the weirdest ways. But then in the morning when I told Ivan and Hamma of my dream, both of them had the very same one that night! A dream by one Jupiter Adept might just be a dream, but three of us? We decided to check up on everyone, and warn them of our vision. We used our newly constructed boat to go out to sea, and we headed for Lemuria. We thought that we could find Piers, and then use our old boat to fly here faster then we could sail and then walk. But, when we got to Lemuria, it was a mess! The whole place had been trashed, and when we got to the gate, two huge Water Adepts blocked our path! We asked if we could receive entry, and he responded that Lord Conservato did not want anyone entering Leumuria because of the king's recent death. Then we said we were special friends of Piers, thinking we could gain entrance. But they responded unexpectedly. 'You are friends with Piers! Piers is dead! By Conservato's orders, all who are Piers' friends and family must die!' We ran away, and then sneaked inside at night. We mind read Conservato in his sleep, and he is creating a Lemurian army!!! He plans to claim the power of Alchemy for himself!"   
  
The group sat in shocked silence. Finally, Isaac spoke up.   
  
"First Kraden died, he died about three months ago, from old age. Then Piers died. Who next?"   
  
She answered, her voice a whisper "Jenna." 


	3. A Mad Plan

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter II: A Mad Plan  
  
Isaac stumbled back, horrified. Jenna reeled away in fear, and the rest of the group quickly caught them.   
  
"Isaac, Isaac, hey buddy, don't worry, we won't let anything happen to Jenna. I swear it personally, as your best and oldest friend, Jenna will not die." Garet said reassuringly.   
  
Felix tried to comfort Jenna. "It's all right sister, nothing will happen to you. It's just like Garet said, we won't let it happen. And you know it won't happen. Together, we took down the Wise One's own chosen miracle."   
  
Jenna could not be calmed. "We had Piers with us then, there were eight of us! Now there are only seven! And soon only six. . ."  
  
Jenna broke down into tears, as Isaac, his confidence renewed, made an attempt to calm her.   
  
Mia, however, turned to Sheba, and with tears in her eyes, silently asked "And who after Jenna?"  
  
Sheba replied softly, "The order was: Kraden, Piers, Jenna, Ivan, Felix, me, Garet, you, and lastly, Isaac. But even he fell."  
  
Mia's face fell. She would not allow anyone to die, but especially not Garet before her. That was unthinkable. He always was so strong, always could bring a smile to their faces. She silently vowed to never let Garet die as long as she lived.   
  
Jenna had finally calmed down. They had to form a plan. After hours of thought, they finally came to a solution.   
  
They would create a militia, and a town guard. Now that everyone was seemingly a master of some element of Psynergy, they should be able to muster a mighty force. The idea was that, if they had an army to hold off an attack by any of the armies that would surely form after Conservato marched upon the world, then any one of them was enough to stop any petty person or two that got through.   
  
But just as a precaution, one person was to remain with Jenna at all times. The next few days the group was busy scouting out every person in town, even the children, and teaching them how to use their certain Psynergetic powers.   
  
Felix and Isaac took the Earth Adepts, and Garet and Jenna took the Fire Adepts. The town of Vale was mainly a Fire and Earth province, so they had their hands full. But every once in a while, when it was not quite so busy on the Earth Adept end, Isaac would go help out Jenna, and then Garet could go see how Mia, with her three visiting Water Adepts, was doing.   
  
By the end of two weeks, they had a functioning militia, as well as a substantial town guard.   
  
Not long after, reports began coming from different towns of a huge army that had come out of nowhere and attacked Izumo, then proceeded to search Gaia Rock for any powerful artifacts they could find.   
  
Isaac and the others knew that it would not be long before common Adepts started to band together. So it was not surprising, when the people of the Apoji Islands joined with the Lemurian army, or when the surviving werewolves of Garoh fled to Contigo after their defeat by the Lemurians.   
  
What was unusual, however, was when Agatio and Karst made a stop at Vale.   
  
They said that Prox had formed an army of Fire Adepts, and that many had flocked to Prox in order to join and protect themselves. They asked if anyone from their town would like to come.   
  
"No" said Felix coolly, "we have a town militia, and do not intend to participate in this war if we do not have to."   
  
"Very well" replied Agatio.   
  
Karst added, "But if you are in trouble, you can always join with us, that is, unless you would stop us from obtaining the power of Alchemy."   
  
At this, Felix became infuriated. "No one deserves the power of Alchemy all to themselves, and you two should know that! If you have gone mad with power, then be gone, lest you want to see what unbinding Alchemy's power has done to my own!"   
  
Soon, the only talk going on anywhere was of what the people were beginning to call, "The Alchemy Wars."   
  
The Lemurians army had briefly clashed with the Contigan army, in a bloody clash which left quite a few casualties on both sides. Though the battle was indecisive, the Lemurian army decided not to stay and finish the job.   
  
Reports showed that it was moving closer and closer to Angara. There were already tales being told that Tolbi and their Earth Adepts had been attacked. A few weeks later, the official report had come.   
  
The Tolbian army had retreated across the Karagol Sea and taken refuge in the mountains. But the Lemurians had followed, and were now camped on Crossbone Island.   
  
Isaac and Garet called a meeting of the rest of the group. They plotted out the probable course of the Lemurian army, and either way that they went, they would either wind up in Imil, to try and recruit more Mercury Adepts, or go directly north. As everyone thought about this info, they began to grow uneasy.   
  
It looked like either way, the Lemurian army was coming for Vale. And they had to be prepared.   
  
Mia and Garet sent orders to the townspeople to double the watch, and put the militia on standby. Isaac was determined not to let Vale fall, and as he reached down to squeeze Jenna's hand reassuringly, he renewed his vow to not let her go. 


	4. Tragedy

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter III: Tragedy  
  
At dawn the next morning, the guards reported sightings of a massive army in the distance.   
  
The militia was rallied, and everyone given a sword and shield.   
  
Garet put on his Cleric's Ring, grabbed his Fear Helm, Xylion Armor, Terra Shield, and of course, his signature Dark Sword. The girls grabbed their respective weapons, along with Ivan and Felix, who picked up their swords, the Tisiphone Edge, and the mighty Excalibur. Felix wondered what had happened to Piers' Excalibur that had been made years ago.   
  
Lastly came Isaac, Sol Blade in one hand, Cosmos Shield in the other, outfitted in his Hyper Boots, Gloria Helm, and Xylion Armor. The seven companions marched out to the middle ranks of the army, and divided into regiments.   
  
Garet and Mia were to take one regiment, Ivan and Sheba another, Felix could handle one on his own, and Isaac would assist Jenna's regiment, and keep an eye on her.   
  
Soon a massive amount of blue-haired warriors crossed the hill, and at the sight of the army, they charged in rage, giving their battle cry. Ivan's regiment and Garet's regiment went out to meet them, and then all hell broke loose.   
  
There were shafts of water and flying ice everywhere. Some militia men had to duck behind their shields as torrent upon torrent of ice shafts shattered against them. Quite a few went down in a massive deluge, and a few fell prey to Diamond Dust.   
  
But then enormous plasma bolts began raining down upon the Lemurian army, and earthquakes broiled across the landscape. Serpent Fumes were sprouting up all over the place, and searching out their targets.   
  
And in the middle of it all was Garet, cutting down foe after foe, casting Pyroclasm, blasting another ten Lemurians into ashes. Following close behind was Mia, healing him when the rare strike made it past Garet's defenses.   
  
Joining Garet was Ivan, with mighty Spark Plasma storms jolting up to twenty Lemurians at a time, while Sheba cast protective Psynergy barriers on all nearby soldiers.   
  
As Garet cut a bloody swath through the ranks of the enemy, he began to get farther and farther from his regiment, and Mia was cut off from him. Isaac saw this, and realized that soon, Garet would be surrounded and up against impossible numbers.   
  
Isaac's regiment moved forward in a rescue maneuver, cutting as quickly as they could toward Garet. Several Lemurians jumped in their way.   
  
"You think you can stop me!? Grand Gaia!!" yelled Isaac. The Lemurians quickly retreated.   
  
Jenna followed close behind. "Dragon Fume!!"  
  
Lemurians sprung out of the way of the giant flame dragon as it made its way toward its target. When they reached Garet they saw how desperate the battle was becoming. He was being pounded with Diamond Dusts, and it looked like his armor might not hold up to much longer.   
  
"ACHERON'S GRIEF!!!" Garet cried, and a giant sword cut yet another swath through the attacker's ranks.   
  
However, just then came another cry, "DIAMOND BERG!" Garet stumbled forward, the force of the blow on his back being to much for even him to stand.   
  
Jenna saw the final blow coming, the Lieutenant leapt forward, holding his sword above his head, ready to bring it down upon the back of Garet's head.   
  
It was too late for anything else, Jenna threw her self forward, intending to take the blow for Garet. It would skewer her, but it was a small price to pay.   
  
"I guess I am going to die after all. . ." thought Jenna. But at the last possible second am incredibly loud shout reached her ears.   
  
"ODYSSEY!!!" The very Lieutenant who was preparing to skewer her was suddenly speared by three swords.   
  
"Uhh. . ." the man breathed, dropping to the ground, where he breathed no more. Isaac and Jenna held the mob at bay for a few seconds, enough time for Mia's regiment to once again catch up with them.   
  
"Garet! Hang on!" cried Mia as she raced across the battlefield. Quickly healing Garet, she was relieved to see the color return to his cheeks, and his eyes open again.   
  
With Garet back, they quickly joined up with Felix's regiment, and held back the Lemurian Army. The battle was a victory. At the end of the day, Vale still stood.  
  
At midnight, Jenna got up, unable to sleep. She was so excited, everyone was convinced that they had saved her from her death.   
  
She had not been killed by the Lieutenant's mad attack. Hearing noises from outside, she saw two blue-haired thieves making their way towards the temple.   
  
"Probably think there is treasure in there" she muttered. "I'll just have to dispose of them myself."   
  
Perhaps because she was so sure of herself after the day's battle, she went alone. She entered the temple, and went to the very spot where the peak had once been. There she confronted three men, all clouded in shadow.   
  
"Wait, three, but there were only two, right? Whatever, one more doesn't matter."   
  
Back in Garet's house, Sheba and Ivan awoke screaming.   
  
In the temple, Jenna Dragon Fumed the two men on the outside as they rushed, leaving only ashes.  
  
"Good indeed dear, you've grown strong, but not strong enough" came a familiar voice. "Luna Blade, DEATH'S EMBRACE!"   
  
By the time Isaac and Co. arrived, Jenna was lying dead on the floor. 


	5. An Old Foe's Return

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter IV: An Old Foe's Return  
  
"NO!" Isaac shouted, reeling in the agony of what he was seeing.   
  
"MIA, HEAL HER! DO SOMETHING!" Isaac frantically screeched. Mia attempted to heal Jenna, but to no avail.   
  
"I can't do it Isaac, she is beyond healing" Mia said softly.   
  
"No, no, no. . ." Isaac moaned, "Felix, please, revive her do-do something. . ." he pleaded as he dropped his Sol Blade and fell beside Jenna.   
  
"I'll try Isaac" Felix replied, his voice shaking.   
  
Ivan's eyes caught something in the shadows, moving swiftly, but suddenly, with a slight swish, so miniscule, that unless you were concentrating you couldn't hear it. Ivan looked around again, convincing himself that it was only his head.   
  
Felix gave up, and turned to Isaac, his voice about to crack "It's too late, Isaac. Nothing can save her now."   
  
An eerily calm and cold voice rang out "Yes, indeed, you are all much too late to save your poor Jenna. As you can see, she has been effectively disposed of."   
  
The group looked about in fright, unable to locate the voice.   
  
"I'm afraid you won't see me" the voice called once again, "I am effectively hidden. It would be for the best if you would all just leave, just as Jenna should not have come."   
  
"You monster!" shouted Garet. "Look what you've done! You have no idea who you are messing with! Us Adepts are THE Adepts, the ones that lit the lighthouses! Now you have no chance to live. We'll find you, and you'll be made to pay!"   
  
"Spare me the lesson" the voice sighed, "I know exactly who you are. Who could forget? You were striving so hard to stop poor Saturos and Menardi from lighting both Mercury and Venus Lighthouses, only to discover later on that they needed to be lit. Or how YOU yourself, GARET, almost fell off Jupiter Lighthouse and died trying to save MIA, while Agatio and Karst took on IVAN and ISAAC. I know who you are, and I can see that your threats are empty."   
  
"In fact," the voice said smugly, "you are all to frightened and grief-stricken to do anything anyway. What a wishy-washy group, I'm surprised you made it far enough to become part of my plans."   
  
Suddenly, Ivan had an idea. He huddled the group together.   
  
"It doesn't matter if you make a plan or not, you can't even see me, much less beat me" the voice tried to distract them. In the huddle, Ivan laid out his plan.   
  
"All right, Isaac, ready your Sol Blade. Felix, be prepared to back him up with Odyssey. Garet, we'll need you to give us some physical shielding with some spells, and Sheba, you do the same for magical shielding. Mia, be ready to heal anyone who gets hit too hard. I will cast Reveal, and the instant I do, our enemy will be visible. Isaac, you attack with the Sol Blade, then Felix with Odyssey, and if he doesn't go down, standard battle plan from there. Ready, on my count. . . 1. . . 2. . . 3. . . REVEAL!!!"   
  
The room suddenly lost all of it's dark and shadowy corners, and everything was, well, revealed.   
  
Isaac looked up in the air, and saw a figure floating almost directly above them.   
  
"aaaaAAAAHHHHhhh!!!" Isaac yelled as he jumped up and swung his Sol Blade with all his might. The figure skillfully dodged by floating to the side, and then disappeared in a flash of Psynergetic energy, reappearing behind him.   
  
"ODYSSEY!" Felix launched his attack.   
  
"DIAMOND BERG!" the figure replied, crushing Felix before his Psynergy had come to full power.   
  
"Ugh. . ." Felix dropped, wounded, but not mortally.   
  
"Everyone, battle formations!" Ivan cried desperately to try and organize the group.   
  
"Not a chance," the voice responded, "FREEZE PRISM!!!"   
  
Wave upon wave of ice struck the group, and the only one left standing was Isaac.   
  
"Well then, now you see that you are no match for me."   
  
Isaac gaped, as he got his first clear look at his attacker for the first time. "It can't be. . . Alex?"  
  
Isaac's eyes raced toward the pedestal where the ancient artifact that kept Mt. Aleph sealed beneath the earth once stood. It was gone.   
  
"Yes indeed Isaac, it is I. It was so kind of those petty thieves to decide that they were going to steal that artifact. Otherwise, I might have never gotten out. But as you can see, I am here now, and that means the world as you know it is coming to an end" Alex replied coolly.   
  
"I-impossible. . ." Isaac stuttered.   
  
The rest of the group began to rise, strength renewed thanks to Mia's Wish spells.   
  
"I'm afraid I have no time to fight you all over again, nor the energy just yet. I am not back to my full power, what with having been released so recently and all. But rest assured, we shall meet again soon, and when we do, all of the Golden Sun's power will belong to me!" Alex teleported away, nowhere to be found.   
  
"Ohhh, my head. . ." Garet muttered, "What happened to the guy we were fighting?"   
  
Isaac turned around, a look of pure fury on his face. "Alex is back," he seethed with rage, "and we are going to stop him."   
  
"I think we better return to Garet's house and hear the whole story, then we can decide what to do, and maybe gather a few allies to form a larger army" Ivan said, "After all, if what you say is true, then we are going to need an army for sure. Alex is a master at planning, and he is one up on us in Alchemy knowledge. We need a strategy."   
  
And so, they set off to Garet's house, to make plans for the quest which was unfolding. . . 


	6. Of Power and Gods, A New Hope for Weyard

Nightmare Alex: Guess what time it is?  
  
Serac: What time? What time?  
  
Nightmare Alex: It's. . . . . . MUFFIN TIME!!!  
  
Serac: Yay! Muffins for me!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Nope, sorry. None for you.  
  
Serac: B-but. . .   
  
Nightmare Alex: Today's muffins go to . . . The Faction's Lord, EchoKazul and Queen Dragon Goddess, for there reviews of my fanfic!!! HOORAY!!! *Hands out his muffins*  
  
And now, read on for Chapter Five!  
  
********************************************************************************************   
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter V: Of Power and Gods, A New Hope for Weyard  
  
When the Adepts arrived back at Garet's house, they all wept and grieved over the loss of Jenna. Isaac sat in a corner, unable to respond to anyone.   
  
"I could have done something, I could have done something. . ." Isaac just kept repeating over and over.  
  
"Why did Jenna go alone? Why didn't she get me?" Felix sat trying to answer these questions.  
  
Sheba and Ivan were quietly grieving for Jenna at the table.  
  
Garet was numb, just gazing off into the distance, not seeing anything.  
  
Mia was struggling with issues of her own. Deep in her mind, questions were racing like mad. "hat has happened to Alex? When he left all those years ago, so suddenly, without a reason, is this what he was planning? What happened to the kind apprentice I used to know? The debonair young gentlemen, who would never intentionally harm anyone?"   
  
As the group tried to calm their minds, a flash of Psynergetic light lit the room.   
  
"Is it him?" cried Garet, jumping to his feet, Darksword already in hand. "I'll crush him!"  
  
But Garet found himself strangely unable to move. As the light dissipated, Garet was glad he had not attacked.   
  
"Is that truly you, Wise One?" Garet questioned.  
  
"Yes, it is indeed I, The Wise One. I have come to you in a time of great darkness for this land. The armies of Lemuria and Prox are preparing for war, and they are amassing more and more powerful soldiers each day. But, the armies are not what threatens the world most. The release of Alex has thrown all of Alchemy's power out of place. He is undeniably strong, and only one may stop him. Isaac, hear me!"  
  
Isaac turned slowly from his place in the corner, no longer muttering to himself, but painfully listening to every word The Wise One said.  
  
"Only you now possess the power to stop Alex. Before, he absorbed the powers of the Golden Sun, and with it, he was unstoppable. But he was cheated, before gaining his ultimate desire. I imbued the Mars Star with some of the power of the Golden Sun, when I very first met you in Sol Sanctum."  
  
"So, what you're saying is, only Isaac contains the power to stop him, because they have the power of the Golden Sun split between them fifty-fifty?" Sheba asked cautiously.  
  
"Unfortunately, no." The Wise One replied. "When I took the Mars Star's powers, it only imbued him with a quarter of the Golden Sun's power. Alex received three quarters of its power. But do not deceive yourselves, with training, anyone can become stronger, and I believe Isaac can finish it. It is his destiny."  
  
"But where is Alex? I can't beat him without knowing where he is!" Isaac demanded angrily.  
  
"I do not possess this knowledge, Isaac. Alex has found a way to escape my vision, and I assume that he is also more powerful than even I now" The Wise One admitted.  
  
"If you can't stop him, then what hope have I?" cried Isaac. "I'm not a God like you! I can't see all, and I'm not all powerful!"  
  
"Isaac, do not believe so. Your power rivals that of mine already, if only you would open your eyes, you would see what power you truly possess" The Wise One pleaded. "Open your mind Isaac. You can do it if you believe in your own power!"  
  
"How would you know! You can't even find Alex! How would you know who is more powerful! I don't believe you!" Isaac shouted. He then ran out of the house, shoving Sheba aside when she tried to stop him. "I don't care!!! Nothing can be done! If The Wise One can't do it, no one can!"  
  
"Isaac, do not g-" The Wise One's request was cut short by the slamming of the door. "This is not good. Isaac has a deep insecurity within him, I can sense it. It must be removed, or the world will surely fall into shadow. I place this responsibility upon you, Isaac's closest friends."  
  
"I'll do it, Wise One." Garet answered, a look of determination upon his face. "I've known Isaac all my life, and I'll find a way to get him to see the light."  
  
"And I too," Mia added, "if Jenna is ever to be avenged, this is the only way."  
  
"Then it rests upon you," replied The Wise One, "you must get Isaac to come to his senses."  
  
"Sheba and I can form a plan," Ivan chimed in, "if you can give us all the information you know, we can decide where to go."  
  
"I guess I'll join you guys, I've nothing else to do" Felix said bitterly.  
  
"Nonsense Felix, your help is greatly appreciated" said Sheba, attempting to cheer him up. "After all, you're great with supplies and numbers, and we'll need those skills to prepare to leave."  
  
"All right, Wise One, we are prepared. While Garet and Mia try and convince Isaac, we'll listen to what you have to say, and plan our moves."  
  
With that, Mia and Garet set out, trying to find Isaac.  
  
An hour later they succeeded. Isaac was sitting in a grove in the nearby forest, silently debating with himself.  
  
"Isaac?" Garet questioned. "Hey Isaac, you alright buddy? Listen, I know you don't really mean what you said. I know you are just angry, and hurt by your loss. But Isaac, you said it yourself, you are not a God, you cannot save everyone. There are some situations when even the most powerful people are helpless. Even Gods cannot accomplish certain feats. But I believe in you. You can do this. I've known you all my life and you've never once quit. Not once, not at anything. Don't start now. Please, come to your senses. . ."  
  
Isaac seemed moved, but didn't say anything. Now Mia gave it her try.  
  
"Isaac, I know are hurting. Nothing can stop that pain. Only time may dull it. But there is one thing you can do. You can pay Alex back for what he has done. You can make him wish he had never come back. With all of us together, we are unstoppable, especially if what The Wise One said is true. Don't let yourself give up. You can avenge Jenna's death, if only you believe. Come back to the light Isaac. . ."  
  
Isaac stirred, and after a long silence, spoke. "All right, I'm doing it. Not just for Jenna, but also for Weyard. And I'm definitely doing this for Alex. To teach him just what he's done. He's been a menace for too long, and he's finally gone to far. This time, he won't even feel his body hit the ground!" And so, it appeared that Weyard had hope after all. . . 


	7. A New Quest Begins

Nightmare Alex: Hello there! Another update already, not as action oriented as the first few, but still, you just have to get some things out of the way.  
  
Serac: Yeah, this one is booooring.  
  
Nightmare Alex: IT'S NOT THAT BAD!!!  
  
Serac: Whatever. . .  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well anyway, today is. . . CHOCOLATE CHIP DAY!!!  
  
Serac: YAY! CHOCOLATE CHIPS FOR ME!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: NO, once again, there are no chocolate chips for you. Anyway, today's winners are. . . elven-princess-ithilien, and returning winners EchoKazul, QueenDragonGoddess, and The Faction's Lord! Each lucky reviewer will receive a 3 pound bag of Nestle Chocolate Chips. Use them as you will! *Hands out chocolate chips* And it seems that I will be out of town for a while, so no updates for the weekend probably. Unless, I find a way to get to a computer. . . And I don't know how much longer I can keep updating every 1 to 2 days. I have I feeling I will settle into about 3-7 day patterns. Oh, well, read on for the new Chapter 7!   
  
P.S. EchoKazul: Yea, it doesn't look like it's going to happen does it. However, ya never know, I change my mind all the time, like when I decided to kill Jenna after all. So maybe there is a chance.  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter VI: A New Quest Begins  
  
Ivan, Sheba, and Felix turned around as they heard the doorknob twist. Mia and Garet stepped through the doorway.  
  
"Did you guys get him?" Ivan asked quietly.  
  
"Sure did, and I'm ready to go!" Isaac said, following Mia and Garet into the house. "So did The Wise One leave already?"  
  
"Yes, The Wise One left just a few minutes ago. We think we have our priorities straight now" Felix answered.  
  
"All right, let's hear 'em" Garet said eagerly.  
  
"No problem," Sheba spoke up, "#1. Alex must be stopped. Destroyed if necessary, but definitely stopped."  
  
"Dead is a requirement on that one" Isaac interrupted bitterly. "He has to pay."  
  
"All right then," Sheba continued, "#2. We must destroy the Lemurian and Proxian armies. They are both greedily pursuing the power of Alchemy for themselves, whatever their motives, and that just can't be allowed to happen."  
  
"What of the Contigan and Tolbian armies? Or the Izumian army? Are they threats?" Mia questioned.  
  
"No, not at all, at least not yet" Ivan replied. "They are all just fighting to defend themselves, as are the rest of the small factions. Only the Lemurian and Proxian armies need to be to be destroyed. #3. Anemos must never return."  
  
"Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Anemos? You mean the moon, right? Isn't that Anemos?" Garet said, confused.   
  
"Yes, Anemos, where we are beginning to expect I came from Garet" Sheba explained. "The Wise One didn't tell us exactly why it couldn't come back, but he told us that we can't let it happen. And that's it, so far."  
  
"So all we have to do is kill Alex, destroy two massive armies, and keep a giant magic city from returning. Piece of cake" Garet said sarcastically.  
  
"Hey, if it were easy, what would be the fun in it, right?" Isaac said jokingly. "Seriously though, this is a tall order. Do we have a plan yet?"  
  
"Only a basic one," Ivan explained, "since we can't find Alex, we will have to try and complete objectives two and three first."  
  
"No way! Alex comes first!" Isaac said, stubbornly refusing to do anything else first.  
  
"Hello, Weyard to Isaac!" Garet teased. "We can't just explore at our leisure looking for Alex while two huge armies are wasting the land!"  
  
"Oh, right, sorry, I uh, just got a little carried away there" Isaac said sheepishly. "My mistake really, but we can at least keep our ears open for rumors of Alex while we are trying to fulfill our other objectives right?"  
  
"Sure, that wouldn't be a problem at all Isaac" Felix said, obviously just as frustrated that they couldn't go after Alex right away as Isaac. "So we have an idea. We'll pursue the Lemurian army first, since it's the closest. When we hear about Alex, we will decide whether to go after him right away, or stay with the Lemurian army to finish the job."  
  
"Sounds good then" Garet yawned. "Why don't we get up early tomorrow morning and gather all of our materials, then say goodbye and get to it."  
  
"Agreed" everyone said at once.  
  
And with that they all left. Felix took off to his house, Ivan and Sheba planning to spend the night at his house, trailed behind. Garet and Mia went upstairs, and Isaac walked slowly toward his humble abode.  
  
At his house, Isaac quickly fell asleep. He found herself in a world made of nothing, with grey stone at his feet, and a seemingly endless sky of gray clouds. "What's going on? Where am I?" Isaac questioned aloud.   
  
"Isaac, help me!" a voice called out.  
  
Isaac whirled around, and in the distance, saw Jenna, chained to a massive rock sticking out of the landscape.  
  
"Please, Isaac, save me!" she cried yet again.  
  
"He can't help you. Not now, not ever" Alex replied coldly, suddenly appearing a few feet from Jenna.  
  
"Alex! Don't worry Jenna, I'll stop him! ODYSSEY!" Isaac cast his magic as he got within range. Alex was hit, then knocked to the ground, but to Isaac's surprise, got back up as though nothing had happened.   
  
"You are a fool Isaac. Do you really think you can destroy me? I, who possess almost all the power of the Golden Sun, I, who am just as powerful as any God, I, who is blessed with immortality? You stand no chance against me, you never did. And this girl will be the first to know" Alex said, his voice icy and malicious. He approached Jenna, and removed his sword.  
  
"NO!" Isaac leapt forward, running at full speed toward Alex.  
  
"Don't bother me!" Alex said angrily, whirling around. "Stay where you are!" he said, raising his hand. Isaac was frozen in his tracks, unable to move anything, no matter how much he willed himself to.  
  
"Now then, where was I? Ahh, yes. Luna Blade, DEATH'S EMBRACE!!!" Alex's sword glittered with power.  
  
"NO!" Isaac watched as slowly, the figure of the Grim Reaper drifted out from the blade, and then, faster then the eye could see, swung his scythe right through Jenna. He watched, horrified, as Jenna dropped to the ground, no physical damage done to her, but dead all the same. "NOO!"  
  
"And you are next, my admirable adversary" Alex said, turning upon Isaac. "Luna Blade, DEATH'S EMBRACE!!!"  
  
The Grim Reaper appeared before Isaac, and swung his scythe in a perfect arc.  
  
Isaac awoke in a cold sweat. "Oh, it was just a dream. . ." Isaac quietly renewed his vow to destroy Alex, and avenge Jenna.  
  
Gazing through the window, he noticed it was morning.  
  
He looked at how high the sun had become, it looked like it was only a little while till noon!  
  
"Oh no, jeez am I late!" He got dressed and opened his closet to look for his equipment. He found it was all missing.   
  
"AAAAHHHH!!!! Where is my stuff!?!?!?" He ran over to Garet's, and was relieved to see his gear sitting on a table.  
  
"There you are sleepyhead" Garet greeted. "We got your stuff together for you, all of us were just about to go over and wake you up."  
  
"So, are we setting off now?" Isaac asked.  
  
"Yep. All of the townsfolk are waiting for us to go down, to say goodbye" Mia answered.  
  
"Well, then, let's be off, shall we?" said Felix.  
  
And with that the group marched off toward the Gate of Vale, the only landmark that had been left standing after the forming of the Golden Sun. They all said their goodbyes, and as they walked beneath the gate, a strange feeling came over them.  
  
"Déjà vu, eh Isaac?" Garet said, remembering the start of their quest long ago.  
  
"Yeah" Isaac laughed. Finally, they were underway. The new quest had begun, and the fate of the world once again stood in the balance. . . 


	8. Hammet's Mistake, the Fall of Kalay

Nightmare Alex: Ahhh, that was a relazing break for a day or so, but back to work. Another chapter already!  
  
Serac: Jeez, are you some kinda machine or something?  
  
Nightmare, now now, you're just mad 'cause reviewers like my story. Anyway, today is PIE DAY!  
  
Serac: YAY PI-  
  
Nightmare Alex: There are no pies for you already. Jeez, get it through that little head of yours. Alright then, today my delicious pies go to: Syko Monk, Wolfy 129, and repeat offenders, I mean reviewers, EchoKazul, The Faction's Lord, and QueenDragonGoddess. Enjoy your pies as well as the new chapter.  
  
P.S. The Faction's Lord, Sol is associated with Venus and Mars, Luna more with Jupiter and Mercury, so I guess it still fits.  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter VII: Hammet's Mistake, the Fall of Kalay  
  
The Adepts traveled quickly, arriving in Kalay in just five days. Ivan and Sheba had thought that they could enlist the help of Hammet and the Kalay soldiers to help them in their quest to destroy the Lemurian and Proxian armies.  
  
"So, you've heard what's going on in the world," Ivan explained to Hammet, "and now you've heard our plans. I guess the question is, will you help us?"  
  
"It is not an easy thing to go to war" Hammet sighed. "I don't know. Nobody has caused us any harm thus so far. I don't see why it is so important to destroy them if they do not bother us."  
  
"Don't you see?" pleaded Garet. "They haven't messed with you 'cause you don't have an army, and you guys aren't their kind of adepts. You're an Earth Adept kind of town. If you don't fight them now, they'll just solidify their power by destroying the other armies, then they will take over your city, and you'll have no chance at stopping them."  
  
"But right now you have a great chance, the armies are not unified, and if we combined our army and yours, we could overpower them!" Sheba added.  
  
"I. . . I still am unsure. It is not as clear as what you make it to be. You say that we could be more powerful, but how long before the armies are unified, and all of their factions are finally brought together?" Hammet questioned. "It is not so easy to condemn my villager's lives. They look to me for leadership, much like your Elder. Did your Elder want you to form an army?"  
  
"That's beside the point Hammet, we need to know if we have your support or not" insisted Mia.  
  
"Then for now I must answer no" Hammet replied. The Adept's faces fell.  
  
"Then our stop here was in vain" Ivan commented. "We shall stay the night, but tomorrow we make for Tolbi to see if they have come back to their city after their defeat."  
  
"Ivan, please, do not be angry" Hammet pleaded. "I am sorry that I cannot help you, but I do not know if it is best to get involved in this struggle."  
  
"You are a fool, Hammet!" Ivan retorted. "You cannot see what lies in front of your face. By not taking any sides, you are condemning the entire world, not just your people! Your doom will come quickly. I can already see it in my dreams. I hope you make it out alive, Hammet. Then you will see just what you have done to your town."  
  
"Ivan! IVAN!" Hammet called, but it was too late. Ivan walked out, fuming, ignoring the other's calls.  
  
"We're sorry, Hammet, Ivan was really counting on this" Sheba explained. "You would do wise to think of what he said. We will leave now. If you change your mind, tell us."  
  
And with that, they left. As they walked to the inn, different ideas were zooming through everyone's heads.  
  
Ivan could only think of how worried he was for Hammet, he knew that unless they called together their armies, Kalay was doomed.  
  
Isaac wondered what had become of Alex, all other thoughts far from his mind.  
  
Garet and Mia feared for Kalay. They feared that if they did not form an army, that they would become the forced slaves of whatever new force took them over. Not a pretty idea at all.  
  
Sheba was not afraid for Kalay, nor for Hammet. All that occupied Sheba's mind was worry for Ivan. She had never seen him so angry, especially at a friend. She could only wonder what Ivan was thinking, or could she? She had an idea, she could mind read him in his sleep!   
  
"But should I really?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"What was that, Sheba?" Ivan muttered.  
  
"Nothing, Ivan. Don't worry about it." Sheba decided to give her plan a try later that night.  
  
Felix was in a far away world, thinking of Jenna, and how much he missed his sister.  
  
As soon as the group reached the inn, they went to their respective rooms and quickly fell asleep.  
  
All but Sheba, that is. After she was sure no one else was awake, she carefully crept out of her room and went down the hall to Ivan's. Being careful not to squeak the notoriously rust covered door, she silently entered. She approached the bed, and just as she was about to mind read Ivan, he awoke with a start.  
  
"NO!" he yelled, then, regaining his senses and spying Sheba, "What are you doing in here? It doesn't matter, Sheba, quick get the others!"  
  
"What, why?" Sheba asked in confusion.  
  
"I saw it in my dreams, the people of Imil, they are coming. They're here already!" Ivan explained quickly.  
  
"What?! How can you be sure?" Sheba demanded.  
  
"Quickly, look out the window at the peak of the hill!" Ivan responded.  
  
Sheba turned her gaze to the hill, and saw tons of Mercury Adepts slowly crawling upon the unsuspecting city.  
  
"Oh no" she whispered. "I'll get Garet and Mia. You get Isaac and Felix"  
  
They departed and woke the others. After looking out the windows themselves, they suited up for battle.  
  
"OK, look. We are going to try to leave the city without having to fight" Felix explained. " We'll go out the back door here, and head for the exit to the Karagol Sea. Ready?"  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Alright, lets get moving."  
  
They made for the back door, and just as they were about to open it, they heard a rustling outside. Backing up against the wall, they waited for another noise. In a matter of seconds, the door was blasted off its hinges by a freezing blast of ice.  
  
War cries broke up all around the city, followed by screams of pain and fear.  
  
Mercury Adepts poured into the inn.  
  
"Never mind, it looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out!" yelled Garet.  
  
The group quickly dispatched of the paltry soldiers, and exited. Outside, the scene was chaos. Civilians were running everywhere, and others were starting to pick up their weapons and fight. The numbers of the enemy were overwhelming, though, and not enough civilians were fighting. The city was doomed. Garet led the Adepts through a series of alleys.   
  
Isaac heard a cry break out from the door beside him, and turning to see what it was, lost sight of the group.  
  
"Garet! Mia! Ivan! Sheba! Felix! Where are you?" he called.  
  
"Stop guys, I thought I heard Isaac!" Mia commanded. "Wait here!"  
  
Mia backtracked, and found Isaac calling out once again.  
  
Just as Isaac turned to face her, she saw a soldier approaching from behind.   
  
"Duck!" she yelled, hurling spears of solid ice right at Isaac.  
  
"AAAHHH!" Isaac ducked, the spears passing so close that he could hear them whistle by. Turning round, he was thankful that he had.  
  
"Thanks Mia" Isaac breathed a sigh of relief, then spied a soldier closing in on her.  
  
"ODYSSEY!" Isaac unleashed his might upon the soldier, and Mia barely jumped out of the way in time.  
  
"You all right Mia?" Isaac noticed she was limping slightly.  
  
"You could have given me a little more warning. . ." she said.  
  
"Sorry, there was no time. I couldn't stand to lose you, not after Jenna. . ." Isaac trailed off.  
  
Mia looked at him oddly for a second, then they found the rest of the group.  
  
"Jeez, I was worried. Mia, you're limping!" Garet said.  
  
"Nothing major, I had to jump out of the way so Isaac could save me" she replied.  
  
"Alright then, whatever you say. The gate's right there!" Garet pointed. "Let's get out of here!"  
  
As the group left the town, Ivan looked one last time, upon his nightmare that had come to life. He saw the royal palace on fire.  
  
"I'm sorry Hammet" he said under his breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."  
  
And so the group set out for the Karagol Sea, like so long ago. 


	9. Secret Dreams Collide

Nightmare Alex: Ahh yes, yet another update. I must thank you all for the encouragement and praise. It is truly appreciated. And as to how I update so quickly, I have no clue. Sometimes it feels as though someone forces an idea into my head when I'm about to run out, then I play with it and fine tune it.  
  
Serac: More like butcher it. . .  
  
Nightmare Alex: That's not too nice, you're just annoyed that The Faction's Lord didn't give you some pie!  
  
Serac: Yeah, what's up with that!?! Why can't a muse have pie!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Oh hush up. Which brings me to the next point on my list. PASSING OUT THE REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!!! Each winner receives FIVE, yes FIVE, King Size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Our winners today are: Wolfy 129, EchoKazul, and The Faction's Lord. Enjoy! And now on to the next chapter!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter VIII: Secret Dreams Collide  
  
The crew decided to stop and rest at the docks, instead of pressing onward across the Karagol so quickly. They almost all decided to sleep, or just joke around, because they had hardly had any relaxation, what with traveling and fighting puny monsters all the time, and of course, the raid on Kalay.  
  
So it was with these things on the mind that they decided to stop. Garet went to sleep immediately, completely drained of all cheer from lack of sleep.  
  
Felix went to the pub to get some dinner.  
  
Sheba and Ivan decided they would rather play chess in the corner of the small inn which had been established earlier that year, and Felix went along to watch them.   
  
Isaac was no where to be found.  
  
Mia sat staring out across the Karagol, reminiscing on their old journey, and how joyous and fun it had seemed compared to the unbelievable events that had already occurred in this one.  
  
"How long ago it really does seem, and how happy we were during those times. We all seemed to have an innate sense that nothing could go wrong" she mused. "I wish we had that hear. Our confidence has sunk like a rock, and I don't think I've been more depressed since Alex left Imil, long, long ago."  
  
"Hey Mia" Isaac suddenly appeared and called to her. "Can I talk to you? In private?"  
  
Mia's heart skipped a beat. Ever since Isaac had rescued her she had started noticing more stuff about him then ever. Like the way he was always quietly supportive, or how handsome he was with his blue eyes and blond hair. She wondered if she could be falling in love. But she was still in love with Garet. . . It was all so confusing.  
  
"I-I guess so. . ." she trailed off.  
  
They walked a little bit into the nearby woods, until they came to a small clearing.  
  
"Mia, I. . . I need to talk to you about something" Isaac began.   
  
"Yes, what could it be?" Mia said, her heart beginning to pound faster.  
  
"Well, it's just, well, ummmm. . . Ever since Jenna died, well, uhhhhhh. . ." Isaac faltered. "It's just that ummm. . . Oh screw it. I guess what I'm trying to say is well, I think I'm falling in love with you."  
  
"Say. . . . . . . . . . . what?" Mia questioned, her heart almost stopping.  
  
"Oh no, what have I said?" Isaac responded. "Why did I think it could be possible? You love Garet, not me. I'm sorry Mia. I didn't mean to waste your time or anything. I see how foolish I have been. I'm sorry, good bye."  
  
Isaac began to walk slowly out of the clearing.  
  
"Wait. . ." Mia called. "Isaac, I think, well, I think, that I'm falling in love with you too."  
  
Isaac's face lit up. "Are you serious?" He asked incredulously.   
  
"Well, yes, at least I think, I mean, oh I don't know!" Mia said, obviously flustered by the night's events.  
  
"There's only one way to tell, you know" Isaac said, holding Mia close.  
  
"And what's th-" Mia's sentence was cut short, as Isaac kissed her softly.  
  
They remained embraced for a few minutes, and then Mia suddenly pulled away.  
  
"What's wrong Mia?" Isaac asked, worried about the answer.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just, well, I still love Garet, but you, and I mean, it's all so confusing!" she burst out.  
  
"It's all right. I understand. Go and think about it for a while. You can talk to me in private later" Isaac turned to leave the clearing. "I hope this can work out, Mia. You've given me the first bit of happiness since Jenna died."  
  
And with that he left, disappearing to go on back to the port.  
  
Mia struggled with the emotions raging inside of her. How could this be? She was engaged, the fiancé of Garet, heck, they had been planning their marriage not even three weeks ago. And now this. What was going on? How could she be falling in love with another man?  
  
She sat, staring at the full moon contemplating these matters. Did she still love Garet? She asked herself quietly. The answer came almost instantly. Yes, she did, that had not changed, and Garet still loved her. But then what about Isaac? She sat, comparing the two. Isaac was so calm and gentle, quiet and smart. Garet was excitable, a bit rougher, loudmouthed at times, and while not stupid, not exactly the brightest, in his own lovable way.  
  
How could she possibly choose? When she had met them, she had thought them very similar, but now, they seemed so different, almost like opposites, and she loved them both. What a tragedy, yet she still felt Isaac's lips against hers.  
  
She resolved to sleep on it, and talk to Isaac on the boat tomorrow.  
  
As she reached her room and climbed into the bed, she jokingly hoped that tomorrow's trip would not be like their last.  
  
The Adepts woke up refreshed, and raring to go. Everyone seemed eager to set out, and so they boarded the ship early. They were displeased to hear that monsters still roamed the Sea, but the captain said that now they had plenty of warriors to defend the ship with, so, unless they wanted to, they could just relax.  
  
Felix and Garet made a bet on who could kill the most monsters.  
  
"What are you joking?" Garet asked. "You think that YOU can outscore ME?"  
  
"Yes I do, as a matter of fact" Felix said confidentally. "Don't be so boastful, it hurts when you lose."  
  
"Look who's boasting now. . ." grumbled Garet. "Alright then, you're on!"  
  
Ivan and Sheba were to keep track of each person's scores.  
  
Mia signaled Isaac, and they met below decks.  
  
"Have you decided?" Isaac asked eagerly.  
  
"Well, yes" Mia said, unsure of herself. "I think we should give it a chance."  
  
Isaac's face lit up, then fell again. "Are you going to tell Garet?" he questioned.  
  
"Well, no" Mia said reluctantly. "I don't think he needs to know about it just yet."  
  
Isaac frowned. "If you say so, Mia. But I don't like keeping things from people."  
  
"I promise I'll tell him eventually, if things work out" she replied.  
  
"Alright, whatever then" Isaac said, kissing Mia lightly on the cheek. "Come on, let's go see how much trouble Felix has gotten himself into, betting with Garet. Jeez, not a wise move there."  
  
Mia laughed, and they both headed above decks, to the sound of battle cries and the clang of swords. 


	10. Growing Suspicion

Nightmare Alex: HIYA!!! Today I am giving away. . . CAKE!!! CAKE FOR EVERYONE!!!  
  
Serac: YAY!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well, almost everyone.  
  
Serac: Don't tell me. . . None for me, right?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well, ya might get some eventually. . . like at the end of the story or som 'tin.  
  
Serac: No muffins, no pie, no chocolate chips, no reese's. . . Oh well, I can dream can't I?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Sure! Anyway, CAKE for: Wolfy 129, and The Faction's Lord!  
  
Serac: Well, I have to admit, maybe this story is actually starting to get good. Oh, and QueenDragonGoddess, I think you can call what is happening, uhhhhh, I dunno, steaming mud shipping? Eh?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Right, well, read on, to the next wonderful chapter!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter IX: Growing Suspicion  
  
Mia and Isaac emerged from below decks to witness the ongoing bet between Felix and Garet. To Isaac's surprise, they were tied!   
  
"You just watch, I'll kill one more!" Garet shouted.  
  
"What are you talking about? The end of the Karagol is right there!" Felix said, pointing to rapidly growing land. "There aren't any more monsters!"  
  
Suddenly, a sea gull flew right over Garet's head.  
  
"Gotcha!!!" Garet threw his sword with expert skill, and struck down the foul fowl. "I killed more monsters than you!"  
  
"He's right, he got 200, you only got 199" Ivan stated.  
  
"Lucky break, I have another bet for you" Felix replied, not willing to give up yet.  
  
"What?" Garet asked confidently.  
  
"Wooden Swords, me and you. Two hours" Felix made his bet bluntly.  
  
"You're on!" Garet stated boldly. "You won't even see what hit ya!"  
  
"Oooooooh, high class entertainment!" Mia laughed.  
  
"All for you, Mia" Garet smiled.  
  
Isaac looked at Mia, eyebrows raised. Mia felt a slight pang of guilt, for not telling Garet about her and Isaac. But, what could she do? She was caught up between the two of them, not willing to let either go.  
  
"I'll be there" she said, putting on her best smile.  
  
Garet bought it, and the ship docked. He walked off taunting Felix about his defeat. Sheba and Ivan were discussing it also.  
  
"Man, they must be machines!" Sheba exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, that many monsters so quick!" Ivan responded.  
  
"Think you could do it?" Sheba questioned.  
  
"Only with you around" Ivan replied jokingly.  
  
Sheba laughed.  
  
"Let's go have some fun before the match" Sheba said.  
  
And so they disembarked, and headed off to who knows where.  
  
"Shall we be going, too?" asked Isaac.  
  
"Oh, yes, of course" Mia replied distantly.  
  
"Listen, Mia, are you sure you should keep this from Garet? You seem pretty lost in thought about it" Isaac asked once again.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure" she said after a long pause. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"Well, then, shall we go have some fun before the match?" Isaac questioned.  
  
"Maybe just a little bit. . ." Mia trailed off as she and Isaac locked lips once again.  
  
And so they too, disappeared, off into the bustling port.  
  
Two hours later everyone assembled at the docks. Felix and Garet chose their wooden swords, and backed five paces away from each other.  
  
"It's my turn to make you look like a fool" Felix taunted.  
  
"Not likely" Garet retorted. "I've beaten you before, I can do it again."  
  
Ivan stepped into the middle and began the countdown. "Alright, I want a good, clean duel. No hits below the belt, and NO PSYNERGY! Ready, three, two, one. . . GO!"  
  
"Here I come!" Garet cried, running at Felix with blinding speed, drawing his sword.  
  
"Too easy!" Felix back flipped, kicking Garet in the chin, and pushing off into the air.  
  
"Not bad" commented Garet, rubbing his chin.  
  
"Now your mine!" Felix yelled, diving straight at Garet, sword and fist extended.  
  
"Who's winning now?" Garet taunted, stepping to the side at the last moment, watching Felix recover by rolling, and then kicking Felix's feet from under him.  
  
"Not you" Felix sprang to his feet, coming around with a punch.  
  
"Nice try" Garet caught Felix's fist, and hit Felix in the stomach with the hilt of his sword.  
  
"OOF!" Felix stumbled back a bit, surprised at Garet's quick thinking.  
  
"Now it ends!" Garet rushed forward throwing a punch.  
  
"Overconfident!" Felix caught the punch.  
  
"As expected!" Garet twisted his arm, leaving Felix's arm open, then nailed Felix's wrist with his sword.  
  
"Ah!" Felix withdrew his arm, just as Garet threw a punch at his face.  
  
"Score one, Garet!" Garet landed his punch perfectly, knocking Felix to the ground.  
  
"And one Felix!" Felix rolled between Garet's legs, and kicked him in his back.  
  
"Not quite!" Garet spun, knocking Felix's legs with his sword, and delivering a mighty punch to Felix's gut.  
  
"Uggghhhhhh. . ." Felix collapsed on the ground, attempting one final strike at Garet's chest.  
  
Garet simply jumped over the blow, landing next to Felix's head, and thrust his sword a centimeter from Felix's skull. "I win."  
  
"Alright, you win, you win. Ohhhhhh, my stomach. . ." Felix gave in.  
  
"Wow, great fight Garet!" Mia exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks!" Garet smiled back. "Did you actually watch it, or were you too busy looking at Isaac?" Garet asked jokingly.  
  
"Wh-what? No, no, o-of course not" Mia replied, a bit shaken. Had she been found out? No, Garet was only joking.  
  
"Maybe I should duel you next?" Isaac interrupted.  
  
"Not today, that was pretty tiring" Garet replied.  
  
Ivan and Sheba helped Felix up, and they went to the inn for the night.  
  
As Garet was about to go to sleep, he heard something in the hallways.  
  
Peeking out the door, he saw Isaac and Mia leave the inn.  
  
Gazing out the window, he watched them walk into the woods.  
  
"Wonder what they're doing?" Garet thought aloud. "Could it be possible? No. Although, Mia and Isaac have been spending a bit more time together. No. It still can't be. But, still, they have been giving each other secret looks. At first I thought it was just coincidence, but maybe. . . No. Mia loves me, and I love her. Nothing will change that."  
  
Garet may have convinced himself aloud, but he still went to sleep with suspicion floating through his head, and a determination to figure out what was going on. 


	11. Fiery Foes, Garet's Departure, and Ivan'...

Serac: NA doesn't own me, the characters, the scenery, or any ting else related to Golden Sun. He can only hope…  
  
Nightmare Alex: Welcome all, to the wonderful new chapter.  
  
Serac: I actually have to admit, things are getting good.  
  
Nightmare Alex: O_O You just said I did something good?  
  
Serac: -_- Although I don't like to admit it. . .  
  
Nightmare Alex: ^_^ Yay! I got a compliment from Serac! Have a cookie!  
  
Serac: Are. . . are you serious?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well, actually, no. I just got caught up in the excitement.  
  
Serac: That's really really mea-  
  
Nightmare Alex: But people who do get cookies today are. . . Eternal Outcast, and The Faction's Lord. BTW, thanks for the compliments! HERE YA GO!!! COOKIES!!! ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! Oh yeah, things get a little sad too. But all for good reason. With that said, onward ho!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter X: Fiery Foes, Garet's Departure, and Ivan's Demise  
  
Early the next morning, Garet awoke. His memory troubled him. He remembered that he was supposed to be thinking of something important, but what?  
  
"Oh yeah" he said, his memory finally waking up. "Just what are Isaac and Mia up to, anyway?"  
  
He got dressed, strapped on his gear, grabbed his trusty Darksword, and went in search of his answer.  
  
He first stopped by the woods that he had seen them going in to. He came to a small clearing, but nothing was giving him any clues. He searched thoroughly, but nothing came up.  
  
Suddenly, a noise to the left froze him in his tracks.  
  
"Look, what have we here?" a small, yet cold voice said. "An Adept, one of the ones that won't help us get Alchemy's power. . . How sad. What should we do with him?"  
  
"I say we take care of him. . . permanently!" a gruff voice came in reply.  
  
Garet turned around. "Agatio, Karst, how. . . nice, yes, nice to see you again. What have I done to warrant this lovely meeting?"  
  
"Nothing at all, we just decided to follow you when we found you were setting out. After all, if you're not helping us get Alchemy's power, then what are you doing?" Karst replied icily.  
  
"Nothing much, just saving the world again. . ." Garet trailed off as the two closed in. "Come on now, I really don't want to have to fight friends, after all, remember, we saved the world, helped you out, rescued you? Remember?"  
  
"Oh yes, we remember indeed. But do you know what happened here last night?" Agatio said, hinting at something in his voice.  
  
"What do you mean?" Garet asked unsteadily. "I don't know what you are talking about."  
  
"Oh, but I think you do. . ." Agatio said menacingly. "Isaac and Mia, they came here last night. Mia is your fiancé, is she not? Do you know what they did here?"  
  
"What did they do?" Garet gave in. His curiosity to test his suspicion was too much.  
  
"Are you sure you want to hear?" Karst asked. Garet nodded his head. "Alright then. They came here, last night, late."  
  
Garet nodded. "I saw them."  
  
"Indeed" Agatio continued. "We were camping here, waiting for our chance to strike one of you down, you must know that is our mission now." Garet nodded again. "We didn't try it, because there were two of them, and of course, one was a Mercury Adept. That would be foolish of us."  
  
"Get on with it!" Garet demanded.  
  
"Alright" Karst butt in. "Don't be so pushy. We hid, and watched to see what they would do. Imagine our surprise, when they immediately kissed." Garet's eyes grew wide, disbelief and horror behind his eyes.   
  
"They then proceeded to hold each other and mutter words only lovers share, before finally kissing once more, and leaving for the inn."  
  
"Y-you're lying" Garet said, panic taking hold. "I don't believe you!"  
  
"Then go see for yourself, I'm sure they will be waking up at the inn about now. Go watch, and see what happens." Karst's voice was eerily certain.  
  
Garet took off running for the inn, all thoughts of Agatio and Karst eliminated from his mind. Isaac, his best friend, and Mia, his fiancé, behind his back.   
  
"No, not possible, they are just telling me a lie" he tried to convince himself.  
  
He burst into the inn and headed up the stairs. Shoving open the door to Mia's room, he saw she was not there.  
  
In Isaac's room, Mia had just walked in. They were talking softly about their relationship. She truly loved Garet, but she loved Isaac, also. Isaac had true feelings for Mia, and they tried to decide what to do. But Mia was too worried, too worried about losing either one of them.  
  
Finally Isaac just silenced her, and they kissed once more.  
  
Suddenly Garet burst into the room, full of fire. When he saw them, his eyes burnt red with anger.  
  
"SO IT'S TRUE!" he yelled. "MY BEST FRIEND, AND MY FIANCÉ, BEHIND MY BACK!!!"  
  
"Garet" Mia tried to explain. "Wait, it's not what you think. . ."  
  
"WHAT IS IT THEN!" Mia could see the agony behind his look of hatred, the grief behind his anger.   
  
"WHAT IS IT!"  
  
"It's. . . it's. . ." Mia stuttered.  
  
"It's all true!" Garet said, breaking down, grief consuming him. "All I ever did was love you."  
  
Garet jetted for the door. Isaac blocked his path, and Garet, caught up in everything that had happened, responded out of instinct.  
  
"LIQUIFIER!!!" The searing beams of fire and heat flew at Isaac.  
  
"No, don't hurt each other!" Mia yelled, jumping in between Isaac and the flames.  
  
She was struck, and fell to the ground, burns all over her, losing consciousness quickly. "G-Garet. . ."  
  
Garet looked in horror upon what he had done in his rage, but couldn't bear to see anymore. He sprang out the room yelling, "If that's the way it is, then I hate you both! Goodbye, for good!"  
  
He ran down the hall, and Ivan, who had just stepped in, rushed after him.  
  
"Garet, wait, what's going on?" he yelled, trying to reason with the stricken Fire Adept while running after him.  
  
Garet just kept running, ignoring Ivan, the only thoughts going through his head of Isaac and Mia, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. It was like a yo-yo.  
  
Ivan lost track of him eventually, and started to go back to the inn to find out what had happened. He was suddenly stopped by a pair disguised in large cloaks, however.  
  
"Excuse me, I must be going though" he said politely.   
  
"No, I think not" the smaller of the figures responded, revealing a large scythe blade.  
  
"Indeed, you won't be going anywhere" the other added, putting his fists up.  
  
"I don't want to fight right now, and I don't think you know what you're dealing with" Ivan warned.  
  
"Oh, but we know exactly what we're dealing with" Karst pulled back her hood.  
  
"And one of you can't stop both of us" Agatio revealed his face.  
  
"Agatio, Karst, why. . ." Ivan uttered, before he was slammed in the face by a bone-crushing punch from Agatio.  
  
From the ground he looked up, and saw the scythe coming down towards his neck.  
  
"You should've helped us gain the power of Alchemy" Karst replied, these words the last that Ivan would ever hear.  
  
As the blade penetrated his neck, Ivan breathed his last, and back in the inn, in Isaac's room, Sheba screamed and suddenly fainted.  
  
"What happened? Did something happen to Garet?" Mia said, worry plaguing her voice, healed by Isaac, having already forgiven him for what he had done.  
  
Sheba came to slowly. "It, it's Ivan. . ." she said blankly. "Ivan's gone. . . and Felix is next."  
  
Mia began to sob. "I should never have kept it from him" she said hysterically. "I shouldn't have done it, I should have been more faithful. Garet. . ."  
  
"It's all right Mia, calm down, calm down." Isaac tried his best.  
  
"Nothing's all right!" Mia could not be calmed. "What have I done, Garet. . . don't hate me. . . I still love you. . ."  
  
The irony of it struck her right in the heart, because, noticing the calendar, today would have been the date of their wedding. 


	12. Fallen Hero

Serac: Yo. Nighty doesn't own moi, Golden Sun, or anything else for that matter. He is also not responsible for your health while reading this.  
  
Nightmare Alex: And what's that supposed to mean?  
  
Serac: Well, they say it a lot in disclaimers about other stuff. . .  
  
Nightmare Alex: Alright. Whatever. Moving right along. . . welcome to yet another chapter. QueenDragonGoddess, I'm so very sorry. I missed you on accident. Do not feel unloved, for you will get double the regular prize today.  
  
Serac: Woohoo.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Serac, you'll just have to wait. Today everyone shall receive very, very large, I mean, we're talking 10 pounds bags here, of rock candy. Yes, pure sugary rock candy. And today, The Faction's Lord gets one, and QueenDragonGoddess gets two! Hurray! Here ya go!  
  
Serac: Woohoo.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Oh, and The Faction's Lord, what will you do to me if I kill Felix. I can already see QDG will sob, but really, is that a threat? After all, sometimes things change, but other times, destiny rules. . . Oh well, read on, and make sure to review!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XI: Fallen Hero  
  
As Garet ran, his rage slowly dissipated, and turned into an enormous well of regret. Maybe he shouldn't have taken off like that, and, he had hurt Mia. . . But then the memory of Isaac and Mia came back once again, and he was filled again with rage, burning anger, deep-seated hatred. It consumed him, corroded his soul, corrupted his mind, but in his state he could not see it. All he could see was the blind of hate set in front of him.  
  
"Well, look at that. Poor Garet, all alone. Where are his friends?" a cold, controlling voice came from the shadows behind a nearby tree.  
  
By this time, Garet was already back to Kalay, having taken the cave back around the Karagol.  
  
He turned, slowly, unconcerned about who the voice was, or what it wanted. The only thing in Garet's mind was Isaac and Mia's betrayal. "What do you want?" his voice was like venom, full of malice.  
  
"Garet, don't you recognize me? I set all of this in motion, remember?" the voice was so familiar, but Garet couldn't concentrate on who it was.  
  
"SHOW YOURSELF!" Garet's voice boomed through the wilderness, the heat in the area rising, Garet's rage apparent in the potency of his Psynergy.  
  
"Very well then" Alex stepped from the shadows. "Are you happy now?"  
  
"You. . . you are the cause of all of this. . . the cause of my grief, my sorrow. . ." Garet's voice literally spread heat waves.  
  
"It seems that you won't go down without a fight, then?" Alex asked the unneeded question, knowing fully well the answer.  
  
"YOU'LL DIE FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Garet rushed, Darksword screaming in response to his rage, Acheron's Grief bursting forth.  
  
"It is folly to take me on, you haven't any power of the Golden Sun" Alex dodged with lightning speed. "Although it does indeed seem that you are stronger than I thought."  
  
"I DON'T CARE WHAT POWER YOU HAVE!" Garet shouted in pure hatred. "YOU'LL DIE!!!"  
  
The rush was so fast this time that Alex couldn't dodge, and resorted to drawing his Luna Blade. The clang of metal against metal resounded as the swords locked, and a swift punch from Garet hit Alex in the arm. Alex came back with ice shards flying from his fingertips, like small knives, nicking the edges of Garet's face. His rage grew to a further level, to that of a rabid animal.  
  
"Oh my" Alex said, dodging three quick punches and blocking another sword swing. "I don't know exactly what I've done, but I didn't expect this reaction. And is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?"  
  
The temperature continued to rise, a testament to Garet's strength when angered.  
  
"LIQUIFIER!" The beams of heat shot like bullets, and Alex dodged four or five, before being nicked in the knee by the sixth, and then bashed with the final seventh beam. "Ughhh. . . I can't possibly be getting hit!" he cried in disbelief.  
  
"LIQUIFIER!" The beams shot out again, this time dodged by a quick teleport from Alex. "LIQUIFIER! LIQUIFIER! LIQUIFIER!" Garet tried again and again, but Alex was too fast this time.  
  
"That trick won't work again!" he came from the back, and hit Garet with a quick Froth Sphere.  
  
"AHHHHHHH!" Garet cried in rage, and when he did so, the heat level intensified to such a point where nearby trees spontaneously combusted, and others caught fire, starting a massive inferno.  
  
"This is new" Alex said, dodging shards of flying trees, sweating in the extreme heat. "I had no idea that you would pose a threat, no matter how small." He unleashed Deluge, trying to catch Garet in it and wash away some of the fire.  
  
It was a great surprise to him when the massive wall of water was evaporated by a Pyroclasm from Garet.  
  
"You've got to be joking!" Alex called on some of his most powerful Psynergy. "FREEZE PRISM!"  
  
"INFERNO!" Garet's mighty blasts of fire met head to head with the falling prisms of ice, leaving several evaporated, and the one that got through was expertly cut in half by his Darksword.  
  
"Well, then. If my strongest Psynergy cannot stop you, maybe it was time that I put more power into it then intended!" Alex's voice sounded worried for the first time. He glowed with an intense blue aura, cooling everything that came near, the feet under his ground turning to ice.  
  
"FREEZE PRISM!!!" Now, so many prisms filled the sky it was jaw dropping. They were massive, and with their numbers, Alex had not even bothered to aim. They flew randomly into different spots of the flaming forest, creating large craters and huge spikes of flying ice.  
  
Garet came back to his senses, rage not dissipated, but at least kept under check. Dodging spike after spike of flying ice, and running from prism after prism, he hardly had time to notice Alex making a series of short teleport jumps towards him.  
  
"If I cannot stop you by force, then maybe I'll try something new" Alex mused, waving his hand in the direction of Garet.  
  
"What th-" Garet's exclamation of astonishment was cut short as a wave of ice covered the ground, causing him to fall flat on his back. His rage back at the surface, the ice beneath him quickly melted, but not fast enough.  
  
"AAAUUUGGGHH!" He felt a screaming pain ripping through his head, and noticed Alex standing only a few feet away, eyes closed in concentration.  
  
I'm in your head Garet. . . he heard from inside himself.  
  
"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Garet was on the verge of collapsing.  
  
I see what happened now, Mia break your heart? Alex taunted.  
  
The taunt hit home. Garet was shocked, and Alex took the opportunity.  
  
Don't worry, I won't kill you, you may prove to be useful. How about I keep you as my pawn? Alex asserted his telepathic authority over Garet's mind.  
  
Get out! Get out! I won't serve you! Garet said, then realized he had not spoken at all, but it was really in his head. He dully noticed that his body was moving forward, toward Alex, and then he dropped to one knee.  
  
"And now you are my pawn. . ." Alex's voice penetrated Garet's prison within his mind. Garet could hear, see, smell, touch, but he could not control his actions.  
  
What have you done? His voice echoed through his own head, now just a shell that Alex controlled.  
  
"Garet, Garet, Garet" Alex said softly. "Now you are my soldier. And first on the agenda, is to call back Anemos."  
  
What, why? Garet questioned.  
  
"Because they will help bring about the utter end to your pathetic armies. The Anemians possess a fine army, I found out long ago, when I was searching to find the answers on how to find ultimate power. They have quite a few functioning Sentinels, I believe you met the last one on Weyard before?" Alex answered.  
  
Garet thought. Oh, we beat it and took the summon Catastrophe. . .  
  
"Yes, indeed. They will help me, unwittingly, much like you all did" Alex commented. "And when they have given me Isaac, and I have defeated him, I will dispose of the strong as I see fit, for then all will be mine to command, and I WILL have ultimate power!!!"  
  
"Now go, my pawn, go, and destroy Lama temple and the other towns. I'll need a diversion to get to Vale, it is the only place where I am close enough to reach Anemos."  
  
You mean you can't teleport anywhere instantly? Garet asked incredulously.  
  
"I can teleport anywhere in Weyard" Alex said, annoyed at the question. "But Anemos, being the moon, is much farther away then Weyard is large. I could teleport from one edge of Gaia Falls to another, but the moon is farther than that, so I must get to the closest location."  
  
"NOW! Do not stall, bring destruction on your path, I have rallied the people of Imil, and they will obey you, if you show them this." Alex handed Garet a medallion, intricately made, with two dragons wrapping around each other, one breathing fire, the other ice. "They will recognize it as mine, and if they do not, it will speak to them."  
  
NO! I'm not going to help destroy anything! Garet tried to resist, but his efforts were in vain.  
  
"Hah, you may have incredible sheer power, but you are nothing compared to my mind, it is bursting with Psynergetic power, more than enough to take over you!" Alex laughed at Garet's feeble attempt.  
  
"Now go, and leaved all the ground you cross charred beyond recognition, but most importantly: LEAVE NONE ALIVE." And with that, Alex teleported away, to where Garet could only guess.  
  
And, despite Garet's resistance, he could not stop his own body from going toward the ruins of Kalay, where he found a vast army of Mercury Adepts camped before him. . . 


	13. New Missions

Nightmare Alex: I have to say the disclaimer this time, 'cuz all of my djinn are locked up, instead of normally roaming about helping me (except Serac, who is real annoying.) I had too. They broke into my review prize stash, and man! I have never seen so many sugar high djinn flipping around the house destroying my stuff! They are all safe and unharmed, as well as muzzled and caged. . .  
  
Serac: MMMMMFFFFMMMFFMFMFFMFMMFMMFMMFMFMFMFM *Breaks muzzle* SUUUUUGGGGGAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!! EEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Right, better make this quick. *Looks at Serac's Cage, notices little cracks in it* O.O Alright, I don't own Golden Sun or anything. Our prize winners are-  
  
Serac: MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! AH HA HA!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: No, but you did get some of my stash. Anyway, a pound bag of M&M's to QueenDragonGoddess and The Faction's Lord.  
  
QDG: You ARE loved. My reviewers should never feel unloved. . . And I update through pure inspiration. One a day, and it's fun and play. The idea's in my head could keep me writing five a day, but they would be slightly unrefined, so I settle for one work of art a day.  
  
TFL: We'll see whose stronger. Besides, Felix is undecided on life or death right now. . .  
  
*Serac's cage suddenly shatters in shards of ice*  
  
Nightmare Alex: O.O Gotta run, this doesn't look good. Read and review!!!  
  
Serac: FREEEEEEEEEDOM! WAAAAAAA HHHAAAAAAAA HHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! FREEZE PRISM!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! *runs*  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XII: New Missions  
  
It had been two days since Garet left, and the group had stayed at the port, trying to decide what to do.  
  
They were desperate. With the death of Piers, Jenna, and Ivan, and the departure of Garet, they were know only four in number.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this. . ." Isaac trailed off.  
  
"Indeed" Felix responded. "It doesn't look like our chances of pulling this off are getting any better."  
  
"What do you think, Sheba?" Isaac asked her opinion.  
  
". . ." Sheba was completely silent. The death of Ivan had rocked her to the very bones. She supposed that she had not known what she had had in him until it was too late.  
  
"Oooookay. And you Mia?" He tried in vain to get either of them to talk.  
  
". . ." Mia was also silent. She had not talked since Garet had left and Ivan had died. She held herself fully responsible for what had happened. Her worst nightmares had come true, and even more than that. She had lost Garet, weakened the group, practically destroyed her relationship with Isaac, and now Ivan was dead because of her.  
  
Isaac sighed. "All right, all right. Well, we at least need some kind of plan. You've all heard the news, the news of the new army, the Imil army, that sprang up suddenly again, under the leadership of a new, powerful Adept. Right?"  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
"Well, I don't see what he's after, but apparently he's a Mars Adept, so this could be interesting. The army has already destroyed Lama Temple, and is moving on to Xian. We can't let them go along like this, or before you know it, our own Vale will be under attack!" Isaac spoke with passion.  
  
"I concur" Felix spoke up. "But how are we supposed to stop it? We would have to go back to Vale, rally the army. . . We don't have time for that, the Lemurians are about to leave on their fleet of ships and head for Prox!"  
  
"Well, I do have an idea. . ." Isaac said softly, unsure of himself. "You, could go back. You and Sheba. Rally the army, stop the people of Imil, and this new leader. Mia and I could press on, try to find aid, maybe enlist the Contigans, they'll listen. They know us."  
  
"I don't think splitting up is such a good idea. Sheba has already told us that Agatio and Karst murdered Ivan, and we found him with a clear scythe cut through his neck, so it must be true. . ." Felix reasoned. "They would like nothing more than to get us split up."  
  
"We can take them!" Isaac argued. "They only got Ivan because he was alone. . . And besides, Mia is a Mercury Adept. We'll be fine."  
  
"But what if you won't be!" Felix yelled. "How can you be so sure of yourself as a leader! Under your leadership we've had two deaths and one deserter!" Felix was livid, unwilling to watch another of his friends die.  
  
"What would you have me do!" Isaac was fuming. "Would you have me let the Lemurians take power of this world? Would you have me condemn Vale to destruction, along with our families and friends? What would you have me do?"  
  
Felix was taken aback by the fierce verbal onslaught, thinking.  
  
"Okay. You win. Sheba and I depart for Vale in two hours. You and Mia go for Contigo. It's a deal. But what about Anemos? Remember it?" Felix asked.  
  
"We don't have any information on it. We can't even plan a way to stop it if we don't know what's happening." Isaac replied coolly.  
  
"If you say so. . ." Felix trailed off, being ripped apart by indecision. "Come on Sheba, let's pack up."  
  
Far, far away, in Xian, a slaughter was taking place. The people of Imil had struck silently, and done their jobs well. They were busy killing the civilians and petty soldiers. Dark Garet stood, watching it all. He was outfitted with all new armor, most of it cursed for maximum power, but all the negative effects negated by his Cleric's Ring. With his all-black Fear Helm, a new type of cursed armor called the Black Mail, his Terra Shield, and Forsaken Boots, he was all but an enormous black shadow. In his right hand, he gripped his Darksword tightly. He noticed a regiment of Xian defenders running his way.  
  
"Hm?" a dark, unnatural voice floated from inside his helmet. "Some one wants to play?"  
  
He broke out in a fit of evil, booming laughter, and the defenders stopped in their tracks as this massive, black giant prepared to fight.  
  
"Do not be afraid, we are twenty, and he is but one!" one of the defenders called out, rallying the squad. "Now, CHARGE!"  
  
They came on, unknowing of what they were up against. It soon became apparent. Dark Garet merely flicked his hand, and the temperature rose by at least thirty degrees, lighting the parched grass aflame, turning the battleground into something akin of hell. His kind of playing field.  
  
"PATHETIC HUMANS!" Dark Garet rushed, and with one mighty swing of his Darksword, cut four defenders in half. He continued to butcher the squad, all who actually hit him were frozen solid as a wave of dark energy from his cursed armor rushed up their blades and into their souls.  
  
"What a joke!" Dark Garet finished off the leader, unleashing Acheron's Grief, and watched the other regiments locked in combat with his army turn to see the finishing blow.  
  
Cleaved in two by the giant sword, their leader fell. And as they stared, open mouthed, as they watched the fires consume his lifeless body, Dark Garet once again cast a spell. "INFERNO!"  
  
The flames shot out across the landscape, and the people of Imil scattered, fleeing from the scene unfolding before them. The Xian defenders were being incinerated. Fires raged unchecked across the landscape, and soldier after soldier was burned to ash.   
  
"What pathetic worms!" Dark Garet had finished the job, Xian was up in flames. All that would remain of this once proud city would be a barren wasteland, the grass burnt, any new attempt at life stifled by the ash which littered the ground. Nothing could possibly survive here again.  
  
"MOVE!!!" Dark Garet roared at his army, and watched with satisfaction as they trudged on, to the next city, burning everything as they went.  
  
Garet sat, trapped in his own mind, not looking at what was happening on the outside, for the fear of losing his sanity. He had only one solace. Alt had not been found, so one city was spared. But, in his mind, he knew it was only a matter of time before they reached Vale. . .  
  
Back at port, Felix and Sheba said their goodbyes to Isaac and Mia, then embarked on the ship for the ride back across the Karagol.  
  
"It won't take long to beat this upstart army!" Felix shouted as the ship sailed away, having decided if this was his mission, he was going to give it his all.  
  
"Then hurry back!" Isaac yelled, and he and Mia headed off to see if Tolbi would help them defeat the Lemurians.  
  
Mia didn't say anything, but she got the impression that darker things waited just beyond the horizon. . . 


	14. Anemos in Chaos, Tolbi in Ruins

Serac: *stares blankly* . . . *drools*  
  
Nightmare Alex: Right, well, I finally got my computer back online after Serac broke all of the djinn free, and uhhh, he's experiencing a hangover from the sugar. So, I do not own Golden Sun or anything else that is legally bound to it.  
  
Serac: Golden. . . Sun. . . *drools some more*  
  
Nightmare Alex: Okay then, I will now give out the prizes! King Size Butterfingers, five each, for The Faction's Lord and QueenDragonGoddess!!! *Hands out Butterfingers*  
  
Nightmare Alex: QDG, glad you know you feel loved again.  
  
TFL, while this may be dangerous, I will do the same that I did to my djinn, namely, teleport away! I do share a few characteristics with my namesake ya know. Besides, that would down my computer again, and then I wouldn't be able to continue my story. Heres the next chapter!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XIII: Anemos in Chaos, and Tolbi in Ruins  
  
Stalfas sat on his throne, bored to death with his life. He was the king of Anemos, and yet, he never had to do anything. Since the city had flown away so long ago nothing had happened. He longed to just go play a game, or do something, have a crisis, solve a problem. But Anemos was fine, perfectly, perfectly fine.  
  
And it was horribly boring.  
  
"Skylar" he called one of his 20 elite guard stationed in the throne room. "Skylar, do you want to play, chess, perhaps?"  
  
Skylar nodded vigorously, he was an intelligent young lad, and very gifted with his Psynergy. He loved to play chess, and the king was his greatest rival.  
  
Just as the board had been set up, a sudden flash of light caused all of the guards to stumble back, clutching their eyes. A few seconds later, a pair of feet landed on the chess board.  
  
"Pardon me, good king, but I'm afraid I must hold conference with you" a voice came, but the blinded Anemians could not see who it was.  
  
"Who are you?" the king bellowed. "Tell me who you are and what you want, or I will have my guards behead you!"  
  
"No need for that, good king. My name is Alex, and I am here to bring you exciting news" Alex spoke calmly, letting no hint of his true plan get across in his voice.  
  
"News?" the king laughed. "What news could you bring me that would be exciting? Anemos is perfect!"  
  
"I bring news from the world below" Alex responded, a smug look on his face.  
  
"Th-the world. . . below?" the king uttered the words in disbelief. "How did you get here?"  
  
"It is a simple trick" Alex said, then vanished. "It" his voice came from behind the king, then he vanished again. "is just a simple teleport." The king looked around, trying to find this strange new man.  
  
"I'm above you" Alex gave himself away. The king looked up, and found Alex floating above him, just as he had said.  
  
"Incredible!" the king gasped.  
  
"No, not at all incredible. What is incredible is what is going on down below" Alex got back to his point. "War! War, my good friend, has begun in the world below. Alchemy's power has been rekindled, and now the many peoples of Weyard wage war to claim it for themselves."  
  
"War?" the king's mind raced. War? It was so exciting, and so new. But you can't rush into these things. "So what do you want of me?"  
  
"If you came back down, you could crush them!" Alex exclaimed. "You still have a handful of functioning Sentinels, correct? They are immune to Psynergy, correct? So they can be your front line, and the troops will accompany them! The world is yours for the taking. All I'm asking for is that you help me find my greatest enemy. . ."  
  
"Alex, is it?" the king clarified. Alex nodded his head. "While it may be true that we have superior power, as you say, I cannot simply go to war without knowing the risks. I shall have to say no."  
  
"Then I shall have to disagree" Alex replied, his voice cold and calculating. "I will change your mind."  
  
Alex waved his hand, and the king was frozen from his feet to his neck. Alex closed his eyes, and concentrated, finding the king's mind.  
  
"Guards!" the king yelled. "Help!"  
  
"Conceited fools!" Alex whirled round, and froze them all solid with a wave of his hand. He then went over and shattered each one with a rap from his Luna Blade. "Now, shall we continue?"  
  
Alex started his mental assault anew. GIVE IN TO ME! his psychic voice roared through the king's brain.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!" the king fought with all his might. "Never, not to be used. . . for. . . war. . ."  
  
You are finished, old man. I have you now! Alex tightened his telepathic grip.  
  
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! the king screamed, only to realize that he was not talking aloud.  
  
"Much better good king. You will now call an emergency, and land Anemos back where it should be, as well as activate the Sentinels. I will be back to check on you." And with that, Alex teleported away once again.  
  
Must. . . RESIST. . . the king fought on as he watched, horrified as his body obeyed the wishes of Alex.  
  
Before he knew it, Stalfas, King of Anemos, had just declared war on all of Weyard.  
  
A mile or so from Vale, Felix laid with his back against a tree, under the shade, resting, watching the clouds go by.  
  
"Sheba" he finally said, "do you think we should be going now?"  
  
Sheba looked at him. "I think it imperative that we not let our enemies get ahead of us."  
  
"Okay then, Vale is only a little while away, let's go!" Felix got up. "I'm sure they'll give us a warm welcome, and the army should still be on standby. . ."  
  
And with that, they raced off into the distance, eager to get to Vale.  
  
In Tolbi, or what was left of it, Isaac and Mia confronted Iodem.  
  
"Iodem" Mia spoke, "I'm sure you realize the importance of what we say. If we can have your army and the Contigans under one banner, we will be a mighty force. We need you."  
  
"I cannot do that to my people!" Iodem replied coldly. "I will be condemning them to death, they've already fought the Lemurians, they kicked our asses!"  
  
"Damn it! You're just like Hammet! And you know what happened to Kalay, under this kind of attitude?" Isaac asked nastily. "No, wait, I'll tell you. They were caught in a sneak attack, the soldiers killed, and the women and children murdered. Nothing is left of Kalay, because of that attitude which you've chosen to adopt!"  
  
"Fine, but what you see is what you get" Iodem gave in. "Look around, our city is in shambles, nothing is right. Our army is broken and disheartened."  
  
"All that can change" Mia said. "We just need a stop in Contigo, and all of those problems will be fixed!"  
  
"So it's a deal?" Isaac asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes" Iodem answered. Isaac jumped for joy, but Mia's thoughts secretly strayed from the subject. What had happened to her Garet? She couldn't forget about him, even if he did hate her now. She still loved him, but the feeling that something terrible was going to happen was unshakeable.  
  
And in the sky above, the Anemian Sentinels were inspected by the guards, and Anemos plummeted toward the place where it once rested on Weyard. . . 


	15. Conflict Grows Near

Serac: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU IDIOT!!! SLEEPING?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Ummmm. . . this was not my intention. . .  
  
Serac: YOU JUST GO OFF AND LEAVE YOUR READERS HANGING FOR WEEKS! AFTER UPDATING ONCE A DAY!!! THEY PROBABLY THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well. . . ya see. . . uhhh. . . technical difficulties-  
  
Serac: YOU'RE JUST MAKING EXCUSES! I WAS WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME!!!  
  
Nightmare Alex: All right! All right! I was just busy, and I forgot to upload it! It's been done for a week!  
  
Serac: Much better.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Sorry, I kinda got busy. . . Finals are coming up soon this semester, and uhhh. . . I gotta study?  
  
Serac: That's hardly likely, I've never even seen you look at a book once at home.  
  
Nightmare: Shhhhhhh! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get back to my old pace again. Arrrrrrrrrrg! I have way to many new ideas floating through my head! I'm on to the next chapter right away!  
  
Serac: NA doesn't own anything related to Golden Sun but this story. Enjoy.  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XIV: Conflict Grows Near. . .  
  
Felix took a huge breath of the sweet air. Home. He and Sheba had finally reached Vale. Looking around, Felix noticed that not much had changed. "Duh" he said to himself silently, they had not been away nearly as long as last time.  
  
A small boy ran by, chasing a young girl around, but froze dead in his tracks when he saw Felix and Sheba. His eyes widened as he recognized him.  
  
"FELIX IS BACK! FELIX IS BACK!" the boy ran around the town shouting, and the doors all opened and people swarmed around to hear of the adventure.  
  
Felix grimaced, and Sheba smiled at his annoyance.  
  
Instantly, Felix was bombarded with questions.  
  
"I can't hear what you are saying. . ." he tried to inform the hapless citizens. They kept up the assault. Annoyed, he shouted "ONE AT A TIME! I CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOU!!!"  
  
The crowd grew silent. Dora spoke up. "Where is Isaac?"  
  
"Isaac and Mia are off on business, they have to complete their part of the mission" Felix answered smoothly.  
  
"So, the quest isn't over yet, then?" Kyle asked.  
  
"No" Felix said, "far from it. We still have a long way to go."  
  
"What about Garet?" questioned Kay. "Where is my brother? Is he with Mia?" She smirked, expecting a "yes."  
  
"No" Felix said, to the shock of the crowd. "Garet disappeared. We don't know where he is, or what he's doing."  
  
"Why did he leave?" Kay asked. "What happened?"  
  
"We had a problem" Felix answered hesitantly, "and Garet had to leave." Felix decided to keep it as simple as that. No need to hurt anyone at this point, especially not Garet or Mia's reputations.  
  
"What kind?" Kay pried further.  
  
"I'll tell you later" Felix dodged the question. "My friends, Sheba and I have returned to mobilize the army. In case you haven't seen the news, the people of Imil have formed an army under the leadership of an extremely powerful Mars Adept, and have been razing any towns they come across."  
  
The people muttered in panic amongst themselves.  
  
"What is worse" Felix continued, "is that their path eventually leads them to one destination, Vale."  
  
Another shocked murmur went through the crowd.  
  
"We don't have any support, since Kalay was the first town razed by this army" the image continued to worsen. "We shall not receive any support, for Isaac and Mia need to rally any support they can find elsewhere, and use it to stop the Lemurians."  
  
The crowd quieted, finally aware of how grave the situation was.  
  
"We plan to mobilize the army and meet the people of Imil at Bilibin, if at all possible" Felix explained the plan he had formulated in his head. "From there, we shall retreat if necessary to Lunpa, then Vault, then make a final stand here in Vale."  
  
Everyone eagerly awaited the last part of the plan, they assumed there must be some brilliant scheme in order for this pathetic attempt to work.  
  
"And if it comes to that, all civilians will evacuate towards the Karagol Sea, and cross, then seek shelter in Tolbi" Felix finished his last-minute plan.  
  
"Is that it?" a voice piped up from the crowd.  
  
"That is the best we can do" Felix replied.  
  
Murmurs went through the crowd yet again, voices somber, mistrustful, and unsure.  
  
"Do not worry" Sheba spoke up, "it is a sound plan. And it will save the lives of many when it succeeds."  
  
At this the townspeople's faces lightened, they knew Sheba was a Jupiter Adept, and that she had good judgment and planning skills.  
  
This prompted a question from one of the townspeople. "So, where is Iv-" He stopped mid-sentence as Felix slowly motioned his head "no."  
  
It was too late, however, and Sheba sorrowfully replied "Ivan is dead."  
  
Everyone went home, shocked at this news, and prepared to wage war on the people of Imil. The weapon shop owner handed out swords, the armor shop owner handed out armor, and the people put on their traveling clothes.  
  
Within three hours, the army was marching it's way towards Bilibin, and a fierce battle.  
  
High above, in the sky, still rocketing downwards toward Weyard, was Anemos. The reactivated Sentinels were brought before the king, and he watched on in silent terror as the evil infesting his body made personal inspections of the twenty Sentinels that had been reactivated.  
  
"Good" a dark, sinister voice came from the king's lips, instead of his own. "These will do. Rally the army, we land in sixteen hours."  
  
The soldiers quickly left, giving out orders and bringing the Sentinels with them. Inside of his prison in his own head, the king had given up on fighting the dark presence Alex controlled within him. The king understood it now, though.   
  
It was not that Alex had taken over his mind, but that he had brought forth the king's dark nature to the surface. And Alex could manipulate this darker side. What are you going to do to the world? the king wondered, ever since this mystery man had shown, Anemos was in chaos.  
  
The people were scared beyond all belief, and for the first time ever in a thousand years, the soldiers had something to excite them. The king only knew one thing. Alex was planning some kind of great evil, to unleash his full power, and with the considerable power Alex possessed already, the king shuddered at the thought of him gaining any more.  
  
Out in on the Western Sea, a group of boats had just departed Loho. After finding their way through the mountains, Isaac, Mia, and the Tolbi army had paid for some of Loho's boats, and were off towards Contigo.  
  
Isaac, chancing to look at the sky, noticed he could see the moon, though it was still daylight. He also noticed it was much larger.  
  
"Mia" he motioned for her to come over. "Look at the moon, look at. . . Anemos!"  
  
Mia gazed up at the moon, and in slow realization, gaped.  
  
"Isaac, we're not supposed to let Anemos return" she whispered to him.  
  
"It looks like it's a little to late for that" he replied. "I guess we'll just have to deal with it later.  
  
On the eastern tip of Angara, the people of Imil reached a great river, and it would take many days to get around. They were about to move on around it, when a command roared across the landscape. "HALT!"  
  
Dark Garet looked at the river, it was deep, but not wide. "STAND ASIDE!" he roared, stepping up to the water's edge, calling forth the limits of his Psynergy.  
  
The soldiers scrambled to get out of the way. Dark Garet, bringing all of his power to bear, thrust his hand out, and emitted a wave of heat, so intense that the entire section of the river instantly evaporated in a huge cloud of steam.  
  
All of the soldiers too close to the water were severely burnt, and those that were injured were left behind. "MOVE!!!" Dark Garet commanded, and the people of Imil hopped over the bodies of the wounded, and continued across the dry river. Three hours later, after the entire army was well away from the river, the waters finally began to rise again.  
  
At Vault, the army of Vale had stopped, and was enjoying some time to chat, rest, and eat.  
  
Felix and Sheba picked up the news about the war and the powerful Imil army from a newsman, people who hired others to go to newsmen in other towns and pick up stories which they picked up. They learned of the army's short cut across the river, and Felix and Sheba made the decision to not rest for another night in Vault.   
  
They had to press on, Vale's fate, no, possibly the world's fate he corrected himself, depended on it. . . 


	16. The Stage Is Set

Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Thanks Serac. Looks like things are back to normal.  
  
A shiny new GBA carrying-case for QueenDragonGoddess and The Faction's Lord, because they remembered I'm alive!  
  
TFL, Me and great chapters. . . hmmmm. . . I dunno. I just write what my brain tells me!  
  
QDG, Mia is pretty broken up right now, and not quite emotionally stable enough yet to rebuild any relationships. However, things can always change. . . Just be on the lookout incase.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Enjoy the new chapter!  
  
Serac: And I'll make sure he updates soon!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XV: The Stage Is Set  
  
"Land ho!" the lookout yelled from atop the crow's nest.  
  
"Good!" Isaac yelled back. "Prepare to dock!" he commanded.  
  
"Well Mia, it seems that we have finally arrived" he commented.  
  
"Mmmmm hmmmmm. . ." Mia mumbled distantly.  
  
"Mia, are you ever going to speak to me again?" Isaac joked.  
  
"What? Oh yes, I'm sorry, it's just. . ." Mia trailed off.  
  
"I know, you are thinking about Garet, right?" Isaac turned serious. "Mia, you can't keep beating yourself up over that. It was my fault. I. . . I forced you into it."  
  
"You know that's a lie" Mia answered. "I chose for myself. I-I just made the wrong decision. . ."  
  
"That hurts" Isaac responded, sounding wounded.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Mia snapped. "And you know it!"  
  
Just then the boat hit land. "Sorry to cut the conversation short, but we have some business to attend to" Isaac said. "Just look at Anemos, I think I can see buildings on it!"  
  
"You're right!" Mia gasped. "This is becoming more dangerous then I thought! We have to go! Now!"  
  
They ran off, leaving the army of Tolbi to take care of the boat, and then make their way to the city.  
  
Around the same time at Lunpa, Felix was trying to relax. The news in Lunpa was even worse then the news in Vault. Apparently this Mars Adept leading the army of Imil actually had some strength.  
  
"A LOT of strength" he corrected himself.  
  
"You can say that again" Sheba replied. "He stopped an entire river!"  
  
"How did you know that you never read the n- HEY!" realization dawned on Felix. "Stop reading my mind!"  
  
"Sorry" Sheba giggled. "I forgot that people don't like that. Besides, it's faster than reading the news."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's about time to get moving anyway. We have to move fast to meet that army in Bilibin now" Felix planned. "By cutting out the river, they saved twelve hours! Now we won't have any time to set up defenses. It'll be a straight battle, unless they stop."  
  
Sheba snorted at the last option. "Like that'll happen."  
  
"Well, considering they haven't even stopped to sleep, much less eat" Felix commented. "It's like they are being driven by a machine. What kind of a slave driver is this guy? And how powerful must he be to keep all these warriors in this condition?"  
  
"Felix, he can't be that strong despite what he did to the river. . ." Sheba tried to think. "I mean, we could probably take on the whole army, after all, people can be easily scared by a strong display of Psynergy. Or maybe they don't even realize that they have superior numbers because of their fear."  
  
"Could be. . ." Felix mused. "Oh well. Time to get going."  
  
"LET'S GO VALE! WE'RE OFF TO BILIBIN!" he yelled at the army. "NO TIME TO STOP AND CHAT, OR ELSE THEY'LL GET THERE FIRST!"  
  
Upon hearing the last sentence, the army quickly took off at a steady run.  
  
"Maybe you made them go a little TOO fast" Sheba suggested, panting. "We have to keep up with them now."  
  
"Well," Felix tried to speak, "at least we know we'll make it to Bilibin on time." He smiled, but Sheba just shook her head.  
  
In Kolima, all was chaos.  
  
"GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU WORMS!" Dark Garet's unnaturally sinister voice boomed across the landscape. The people of Kolima had been prepared for a fight, and had prayed to Tret, the ruler of Kolima forest, to grant them strength.  
  
And so, responding to their pleas, Tret had sent an army of living trees to assist them.  
  
Dark Garet, noticing that his left flank was weakening, had ordered his soldiers to fall back slightly. It didn't work, the soldiers didn't back off.  
  
"LIQUIFIER!!!" Millions of heat lances blasted through the left flank, skewering trees, Kolimean warriors, and Imil soldiers with no discrimination. The left flank was effectively wiped out. No Kolima defenders or Imil soldiers still remained.  
  
"I SAID TO GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Dark Garet roared at the rest of the army. Taking note of what had happened to the left flank, the rest of the people of Imil wisely decided to turn and flee.  
  
"HEAT SLASH!!!" Dark Garet swung his Darksword with all his might, channeling his destructive Psynergy into it. What emerged was a gigantic heat wave, which cut all in it's path cleanly in half while burning them to ashes.  
  
Nothing now remained of Kolima. The houses, made of trees, had been burnt to ash. There were no more Kolimeans to defend the ash piles either.  
  
"Milord," a soldier started to speak, "we suffered several casualties, mostly fr-"  
  
He was cut off as Dark Garet grabbed his head, his palm completely covering the soldier's face.  
  
"WHEN HAVE I EVER CARED?!" Dark Garet shouted, as smoke began to billow from his hand, and the smell of burning flesh drifted through the air. "DO NOT BOTHER ME AGAIN!" he boomed, dropping the soldier, all that was left of his head was a blackened skull.  
  
"NOW MARCH!!! MARCH TO BILIBIN!!!" he commanded, and the soldiers, terrified by the spectacle, took off immediately.  
  
Inside of his head, Garet had given up on fighting his darker side. It was too strong now that it had surfaced, and now that it was free, for every soul it killed it grew stronger. Garet's thoughts drifted away to Mia a lot these days. Should he have run off like that? he wondered to himself. And did she still love him? he asked.  
  
Searching deep inside of himself, he knew that he still loved her. But, trapped inside his own body, with his dark side controlling him made it nearly impossible to ever imagine them together again. Nonetheless, he still vowed to himself every day, while his dark side mocked him, that somehow, he would try.  
  
The royal army was gathered, the Sentinels were prepared, and Anemos was ready to attack. Only two hours remained until landing, and then just one hour until the invasion force would be launched. A dark day indeed was dawning for the world.  
  
Far south, in Tundaria Tower, Alex monitored the progress of his pawns. Just then, he detected an enormously powerful ripple of Psynergy behind him.  
  
"ALEX!" the voice blared. "I AM HERE TO SETTLE WHAT STARTED THREE YEARS AGO!"  
  
"Wise One," Alex answered, not even having to turn around to know who it was, "I suggest you turn back."  
  
"No Alex. You will be stopped once again."  
  
"Then forgive me for changing your mind!" Alex whirled around, throwing solid blasts of ice at the Wise One.  
  
"Alex," the Wise One laughed, "did you not forget? You cannot defeat me!"  
  
"Oh?" Alex smirked. "I think you forgot who I am!" The room temperature dropped to absolute zero.  
  
"I am not the same Alex that you knew before Wise One. . ." suddenly, Alex disappeared.  
  
"Do not run Alex!" the Wise One cried. "I shall find you!"  
  
"Who said anything about running?" The Wise One spun around just in time to see Alex's hand grip his one eye.  
  
"Goodbye Wise One" Alex channeled his Psynergy through his hand and straight into an ice lance.  
  
The Wise One's eye bulged in disbelief, and an ice spike began to grow out of his back. "And now you are gone" Alex cackled in delight. "You shall never interfere with my plans again!"  
  
Just as the Wise One's eye closed in death, Alex detected one last burst of Psynergy, a message, screaming through time and space to be delivered to Isaac.  
  
"It matters not." thought Alex to himself. "No one can stop me now. He turned and looked out to see Anemos make it's landing upon Weyard, and smiled at the smoke billowing up from Angara. With the world in such a state, his plan was proceeding perfectly.  
  
In Contigo, the army stood ready, alongside the Tolbian army. Isaac and Mia stood in the back with Hamma, as Anemos made it's landing. Then, when the smoke cleared, with a mighty war cry, the two armies rushed for the city of Anemos.  
  
In Bilibin, Felix's forces were finished preparing their defenses. They sat in silent anxiety, until the first blue-haired head came over the horizon. With a bone chilling shout, the entire Imil army emerged, running forward with only one purpose. . . to destroy. 


	17. Battle Is Joined, Another Hero Falls

Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun, got it?  
  
Nightmare Alex: Hoooray! Inspiration everywhere! Today was a snow day, so my chapter is longer than usual, cuz I had more time, and more ideas.  
  
Serac: WAY LONGER!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Well, it's long but it's good!  
  
Serac: I guess. . .  
  
Nightmare Alex: Oh hush up! Anyways, The Faction's Lord receives a bucket of chocolate-chip cookie dough! Do what you will with it! Personally, I think I wouldn't even bother to bake before eating. . .  
  
Serac: Disgusting!  
  
Nightmare Alex: It tastes better! A lot more sweet and sugary!  
  
Serac: Oooooh. Mmmmmmm.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Anyway, here's the chapter, and sorry The Faction's Lord. You'll know what I mean by that after reading it.  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XVI: Battle Is Joined, Another Hero Falls  
  
The Contingan/Tolbian army ran straight into the streets of Anemos, in between vast sprawling buildings, hundreds of stories high, almost as tall as the lighthouses.   
  
"It's incredible. . ." Isaac gasped in awe, and the entire army stopped, looking at the impressive architecture.  
  
"ISAAC!" Mia cried a warning. "ICE MISSILE!" Giant shards of ice appeared out of nowhere and shot through an alley near Isaac, impaling a not-so-fierce looking warrior in Anemian armor. "Keep on your guard!" Mia commanded.  
  
"Thanks" Isaac said, still looking kind of shaken. "All right troops, keep on your guard, and kill all that you see! They probably aren't going to be that strong, but they will have a lot of Psynergy!"  
  
Just as spoke, enormous thunder clouds started to roll across the landscape. "Uh oh." In the distance, hundreds of warriors were approaching at an enormous rate, aided by their extreme agility. In a matter of seconds, the two sides met, and complete chaos erupted across the city.  
  
Isaac dodged a plasma, then ran his Sol Blade straight through the warrior who had cast it, quickly sidestepping a swift onslaught of sword swipes from yet another soldier.  
  
Mia froze several soldiers in their tracks with a glacier attack, then took the life of another warrior with her Lachesis' Rule. "Keep it up, push them back!" she tried to encourage all of the soldiers near her.  
  
Shine plasmas began to riddle the landscape, and huge tornadoes raged throughout the city. Buildings fell, killing many Anemians, Contigans, and Tolbians.   
  
"At this rate" Isaac thought aloud, "there won't even be an Anemos!" he jumped behind a piece of rubble as another plasma shot went straight through where he had been standing previously.  
  
"COME ON, PUSH THEM BACK!" Isaac led his army on. "GRAND GAIA!" The earth split open, and several Anemians were consumed instantly by the torrent of rock which burst from the ground.  
  
The army, their confidence renewed after seeing such mighty feats by Mia and Isaac rallied, and pushed back the Anemians. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, the Anemians were the ones to fall back.  
  
Isaac cheered, seeing the last of the quick warriors disappear from the battlefield. His happiness was short-lived, however. The sound of booming footsteps, and creaking metal grew closer.  
  
"What could possibly make that noise?" Mia asked in wonder.  
  
"Beats me" Isaac answered, watching for any sign of the new threat.  
  
From around the corner emerged a gigantic warrior, a creature not of mortal strength. The army gasped, they had never seen anything like it before.  
  
"A SENTINEL?!" Isaac let the words escape from his mouth.  
  
"But, I remember destroying it!" she exclaimed. "We defeated it to get Catastrophe, remember?"  
  
"Yeah" Isaac replied, readying for the fight of his life. "I do. I wish the djinn hadn't decided to go back into Mt. Aleph. Just because it was originally what they wanted us for doesn't mean I thought that it was really going to happen. . ."  
  
"I agree" Mia said. "A summon would be nice about now."  
  
Suddenly, another Sentinel emerged from behind a building.  
  
"THERE'S TWO?" Mia burst out, unbelieving. They might have been a match for one, but two? It seemed impossible. "I think that we are going to need some help. . ."  
  
"No time for that now!" Isaac yelled, noticing the wind picking up. "It looks like it's already begun! EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"  
  
The soldiers that heard Isaac dived out of the way just in time. Those unlucky enough to remain standing were charred beyond recognition by a mighty spark plasma.  
  
"Things are not looking up. Care to join me, Mia? LET'S GO TROOPS, CHARGE!" Isaac ran forward, Mia at his side, the army following behind, in what seemed to be a suicide assault.  
  
In Bilibin, Felix watched with fierce intensity as the Imil army came closer. He had but one goal: Take out the leader. It was absolutely necessary. Without a leader, the people of Imil would probably retreat.  
  
When the people of Imil were just yards away, Sheba began the attack. "NOW"  
  
Hundreds of earthquakes rippled across the landscape, sending Adepts flying to their doom in all directions. Spires crunched unwitting warriors into oblivion. The people of Imil were caught completely by surprise.  
  
They regrouped quickly however, and soon prisms, ice horns, and frosts were flying across the landscape into the city.  
  
Sheba kept cheering on the army, casting protective spells to shield them from Psynergy. But, before long, the people of Imil would be within sword range, and then she could not offer any protection. Glancing around, she noticed that Felix wasn't anywhere nearby.  
  
"What!" she cursed under her breath. "Where the heck are you?" she dodged a prism, and fired back a plasma shot, eyes racing across the landscape, until they fell upon a lone figure going up a hill next to the Imil army.  
  
"What could he possibly be doing?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"Lady Sheba!" a soldier called out. "The people of Imil are fighting hand-to-hand now! We need you on the right flank, it's starting to fail!"  
  
Sheba took off running, all thoughts of Felix eliminated from her mind. She had to keep the Imil army from taking Bilibin, or else they might be completely elimated without Felix.  
  
Bringing her strength to bear, she joined the fray, Psynergy crackling at her fingertips.  
  
Felix army crawled his way past the attackers, until he saw one lone figure, black as night, standing perfectly motionless atop the hill, no other soldiers even remotely close.  
  
"I've found him" Felix whispered. "It's time to finish this."  
  
"Hey! You there!' Felix called out to Dark Garet. "Whoever you may be, I will destroy you!"  
  
Dark Garet did not move.  
  
"Hey! I said that I would destroy you!" Felix yelled. "Aren't you going to do anything?"  
  
Slowly, the mammoth figure turned it's eyes upon Felix. Felix stared into them, they were red and yellow, the eyes of a demon, looking like portals into hell itself. Felix felt as though he had been pierced by a sword. He breathed heavily. There was something unnatural about this creature.  
  
Felix flew backward, a sharp pain in his jaw. He hit a tree with such force that it burst.  
  
"Ughhhhh. . ." Felix moaned. "What happened?" Looking down at his jaw, he saw tiny incisions, slowly dripping blood. Looking back to Dark Garet, he saw his knuckles were spiked, and gleaming his fresh blood.  
  
"He punched me and I didn't even see it!" Felix cursed himself. "I should've never looked into his eyes!"  
  
Felix started to rush Dark Garet, but every swing was easily blocked by the mammoth Darksword that he carried.  
  
"It's impossible!" Felix cried. "No one has enough strength to fight with that huge sword for this long!"  
  
"Worms deserve to DIE!" an evil voice floated from the Dark Garet's helmet.  
  
"What?!" Felix cried, barely blocking Dark Garet's sword. He tried to dodge the follow-up punch, but was a second too slow. He felt evil, seething metal tear into his stomach.  
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he fell, clutching his gut, to the ground.  
  
Both armies stopped fighting. They turned to see what had happened. When the people of Vale saw that Felix was down, they were ready to flee.  
  
"Potent Cure" Felix mumbled, then wounds healed, returned to his feet.  
  
The people of Vale breathed a sigh of relief, and the battle stopped as everyone watched this duel between their epic leaders.  
  
"You won't be so lucky this time!" Felix taunted, calling forth his Psynergy. "ODYSSEY!"  
  
Dark Garet stood his ground, channeling his Psynergy into his blade. He dodged one jumped one sword, rolled beneath the second, and then, gathering his momentum and Psynergy together, clashed his own sword with the third, gigantic one, completely shattering the Psynergetic blade.  
  
"Wha-What?" Felix stuttered, not believing what he was seeing.  
  
"How do you feel now, human!" Dark Garet spoke, the last word dripping with malice. He rushed in, and in three quick strikes, knocked Felix back with his sword, swept him off his feet with a kick, and then did an uppercut straight into Felix's back while he was falling.  
  
"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Felix fell to the ground, then coughed up thick, red blood. "I cannot fail. . ."  
  
Inside of Dark Garet, Garet was trying to take over. YOU CAN'T DO THIS! he screamed in his mind. I WON'T LET YOU KILL FELIX TOO!  
  
Dark Garet convulsed on the outside, then uttered two words, in a voice Felix found most familiar.   
  
"Run. . . Felix. . ." Then the convulsions stopped, and Dark Garet regained his senses.  
  
"Garet?" Felix said, shocked. "What happened? Garet!" he rolled aside just in time, as Dark Garet's blade put a flaming slash through the ground.  
  
"Alex. . . Dark Garet. . . Felix. . . Run. . . NOW!" Dark Garet convulsed again, but soon stopped.  
  
Felix tried to get up, but was nailed in the chest by Dark Garet's fist.  
  
Felix coughed up more blood, and saw Dark Garet raising his sword for the final blow.  
  
"SPARK PLASMA!" bolts of plasma rained upon Dark Garet, but astonishingly, he dodged them all.  
  
"Sheba. . . get back. . ." Felix tried to get Sheba away. "It's. . . Garet. . ."  
  
"Garet?" Sheba asked incredulously.  
  
"Dark. . . Garet. . . Run. . ." Felix uttered.  
  
"No way!" Sheba replied stubbornly. "I'm saving y-"  
  
Her words were cut short as Felix let out a final scream, Dark Garet's sword protruding from his chest. He had thrown it straight at Felix when the spark plasma had worn off, and it was a perfect shot.  
  
"F-Felix?" Sheba stood in disbelief.  
  
"What a little bug!" Dark Garet laughed aloud, the sound akin to a thousand souls screaming their death cries.  
  
"RETREAT!" Sheba yelled, running with God-like speed away from Dark Garet. The army ran right behind her. The people of Imil followed, determined to catch them.  
  
Dark Garet, lost in madness, called forth all of his Psynergy.  
  
"COME WITH ME TO HELL!" he exclaimed. "INFERNO!"  
  
Thousands of fireballs shot out of him, and the temperature rose dramatically. They shot everywhere, indiscriminate in their targets, roasting both the people of Imil and the people of Vale.   
  
Sheba dodged three right off the bat, then dived to the ground, avoiding a fourth. She turned and saw hundreds of figures running, burning, skeletons smoking on the ground, and people with their skin bubbling off.  
  
Those who had not been hit ran even faster than before, trying to escape the horror.  
  
After the battle, Sheba locked herself in the inn at Lunpa. There she fell to her knees and began to sob. Felix was dead now, and she was next. Of the eight of them that had lit the lighthouses, only half remained, and one was lost in darkness. Things looked hopeless. She laid on her bed, weeping her troubles away.  
  
At the ravaged town of Bilibin, Dark Garet looked upon exactly what he had done. In his madness, he had eliminated half of Vale's army. He had also eliminated three fourths of his own.  
  
Dark Garet growled at himself. Now they were less in number than the people of Vale. But, he corrected himself, he had taken one person of more worth than the entire army. Felix was dead, and it was only a matter of time before he caught up with Sheba. . . 


	18. No Rest For the Weary

Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun. Get it through your thick heads already.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Hey! Things are going great. After having escaped to my second home, just moments before my house was completely incinerated I guess (looks at The Faction's Lord.)  
  
Serac: Yeah, you're lucky I warned you he was probably going to do that!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Yes I am! Chocolate chip muffins to QueenDragonGoddess, golden emperor, and Serac.  
  
Serac: ME?!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Yes you! I am giving you The Faction's Lord's muffin because he tried to cripple me! So you can have it. If The Faction's Lord is good, and doesn't try to kill me again, maybe he'll get some more too.  
  
Serac: YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XVII: No Rest For the Weary  
  
Dark Garet stood, motionless. He had been standing in the very same spot since the retreat of the Vale army. He was tallying up the losses. Growing frustrated, he finally decided to hell with it all. He was strong enough to take down Felix, he could take Sheba. And the soldiers were so much weaker than her.  
  
"MARCH NOW!" Dark Garet commanded, breaking the silence. The few remaining people of Imil began to trudge off in the direction of Lunpa. Dark Garet stayed behind.  
  
"Why did you do that?!" a voice snapped from behind him.  
  
"Forgive me. . ." Dark Garet replied, turning round.  
  
"You completely lost your head!" Alex scolded, showing his temper for the first time in ages. "You just destroyed almost all of your own army!"  
  
"They cannot stand against me!" Dark Garet replied. "Not even all of them combined can stop my might!"  
  
"Yes, this is true. . ." Alex ran through the numbers in his head. "But watch out for Sheba. . ."  
  
"She is nothing but a puny bug!" Dark Garet sneered.  
  
"Do not be so sure. . ." Alex cautioned. "She has much knowledge of Psynergy. She might go down with more of a fight then you think. Oh well, I'm off to check on the progress at Anemos. . ."  
  
And so he left, teleporting off to an undisclosed location, leaving Dark Garet to wonder about his warning.  
  
Sheba woke up, never realizing she had fallen asleep. Instantly, she wished she still was. The memories of Felix dying, the hopeless situation, Garet lost in darkness. . . They all came flooding back.  
  
"Why me?" she mumbled to herself. "Why does something bad always have to happen?"  
  
"Sheba? Lady Sheba?" a knock came from her door. "Are you all right in there? We need to get ready for another attack. They say that the Imil army is on the move again!"  
  
Sheba blew the door off it's hinges with a gust of wind, her hatred for the people of Imil consuming her for a moment. Stepping out of her room, she noticed a soldier slammed against the wall.  
  
"Ooooooops. . ." she said slowly. "Sorry, I didn't know you were right behind there. . ."  
  
"Quite. . . all. . . right. . ." the soldier grunted, slowly getting on his feet. "But we need to get moving. They are very close. We have already dug a trench. We even have some booby traps set up. But we need you to rally the men, and bring them some morale."  
  
"Yes" Sheba said distantly, "I suppose so. . ."  
  
"Dear God!" Isaac cried in horror, watching another platoon of good soldiers sent flying, mortally burnt by a spark plasma attack. "This is impossible!"  
  
"Don't say that!" Mia snapped, ducking behind a boulder. "We have at least injured one!" She pointed to the foremost Sentinel.  
  
Isaac followed her finger. Looking carefully, he saw a cut at the Sentinels midsection.   
  
"I would hardly call that an injury. . ." he grumbled. "AND our Psynergy can't effect them!"  
  
"Listen up, blockhead" Mia explained. "Use Megiddo, and you could cut it in half!"  
  
"Oh" Isaac said, realization dawning on his face. "Right, maybe we can win."  
  
"Right" Mia planned. "I'll jump out and distract it, you have to unleash Megiddo on it. Ready?"  
  
"Sure thing!" Isaac replied.  
  
"GO!" Mia jumped out from behind a boulder, and used a bramble seed. The sentinel was covered in thick thorn bushes, but easily broke them.  
  
Isaac was just about to jump out, when suddenly, a screaming voice erupted in his head.  
  
"ISAAC!" it roared. "I CANNOT STAY WITH YOU ANY FURTHER! IT IS I, THE WISE ONE!"  
  
"Wise One!" Isaac called, "I cannot see you!"  
  
"THIS IS MY LAST MESSAGE!" it continued. "ALEX HAS DESTROYED ME, SO I LEAVE TO YOU THE DUTY OF WEYARD'S PROTECTOR!"  
  
"Isaac!" Mia screamed frantically, "where are you?!" she dodged a searing beam, and tried to retreat, but was caught in the heel by a plasma bolt. She fell to the ground, one of her legs useless because she could not put any weight on her foot.  
  
Isaac could not hear her. "Wise One! What do you mean? How can I possibly protect Weyard?"  
  
"YOU MUST!" the voice cried, then, with the message still echoing throughout his head, he realized that the Wise One truly was gone.  
  
"ISAAC!" Mia screamed again, as the Sentinel closed on her, preparing a searing beam. "PLEASE, HELP!"  
  
"Mia!" Isaac heard her this time, and rushing out in front of her, swung his Sol Blade with all his might.  
  
"MEGIDDO!" the strike hit home, and the Sentinel crumbled in half, then fell to pieces.  
  
The other Sentinel turned it's head over to it's fallen comrade, and then to Isaac and Mia.  
  
"Hold on Mia!" Isaac instructed, picking her up. "RETREAT! RETREAT!"  
  
The army took off, carrying what wounded they could, attempting to dodge the Psynergy that the Sentinel was firing at them.  
  
They successfully made it back into Contigo, where they cared for the wounded.  
  
"Mia" Isaac said, slowly. "The Wise One is dead." He let it sink in. "He was destroyed by Alex."  
  
Mia's eyes grew wide. "What happens now?" she asked softly.  
  
"I have been assigned as protector of Weyard from now on. . ." he trailed off. "Whatever it may mean, I intend to try and fufill my duty!"  
  
Mia was about to speak, when metallic creaking and heavy thuds of footsteps began to echo across the plain.  
  
"It looks like we're not quite done yet" Isaac smiled, in his ready-to-meet-anything kind of way. Looking out he window, he saw three Sentinels advancing upon Contigo.  
  
"I think we will have to retreat" he advised. "Maybe we could try and hold out at Jupiter Lighthouse? The Contigans Psynergy would be very strong!"  
  
"Sounds like it's the best we can do" Mia answered, having just finished healing herself.  
  
They went out to gather the troops and retreat to Jupiter Lighthouse.  
  
"So, you came to check on me?" the Anemian king laughed. "Alex, everything is going as planned!"  
  
"What of Isaac and Mia?" Alex questioned, eager to hear the news. "The Sentinels are going to take care of them any minute now. Only one has been destroyed."  
  
"Well then my puppet, I assume I can leave you?" Alex asked. "Knowing that you will succeed?"  
  
Dark Stalfas laughed again. "Of course. They are merely bugs!"  
  
"What is it with Dark Garet and you?" Alex grinned. "All you ever talk about is bugs!"  
  
He laughed aloud, obviously cracked up. Dark Stalfas rolled his eyes.  
  
"Goodbye, my liege" he said, watching Alex teleport away again.  
  
Dark Stalfas set his eyes upon his war map. Ages old, it was still fairly accurate. If he was correct, the next stop for his army should be. . . Jupiter Lighthouse.  
  
"It's too early to fight" Sheba grumbled, then realized that no one was there to listen to her. She wiped tears out of her eyes, remembering how Ivan had always listened to her.  
  
"Come on, Sheba!" she said to herself. "Now is not the time."  
  
Glancing up, she caught sight of a giant figure standing before the gates of Lunpa.  
  
"There here!" she caught the attention of the army in the trenches behind the wall. "Wait for them to enter!"  
  
As she watched, some blue-haired soldiers gathered round Dark Garet.  
  
"Is that all they have left?" she wondered aloud. She knew that a great many had fallen victim to Dark Garet's insane power, but this was incredible. That few left?  
  
Suddenly, am explosion sparked from Dark Garet's fingertips, blowing the gate right off of its hinges, and lighting the entire wall on fire.  
  
"ATTACK!" Dark Garet bellowed, and the few soldiers from Imil that were left advanced through the inferno, determined to finish what they had started. . .  
  
Isaac, Mia, and both of the armies had made it safely to Jupiter Lighthouse. The three Sentinels were in view, and almost in Psynergy range.  
  
"PREPARE YOURSELVES!" Isaac commanded. "We still have a long way to go. . ." 


	19. Freed from the Darkness, Sheba's Sacrifi...

Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun. . . *stares blankly at wall*  
  
Nightmare Alex: Yeah, ummm, it took me a long time to get him to be able to say that. He's suffering from sugar hangover again.  
  
Serac:. . . *drools*  
  
Nightmare Alex: All-righty then. Bag of Fun-Size Snickers to QueenDragonGoddess, and The Faction's Lord.  
  
QDG: Curse it! You saw it coming! Oh well, it still might surprise you how it turns out. . .  
  
TFL: Yes! I won't be attacked anymore. And giving Serac that muffin was an okay idea, until he froze the lake over, and then proceeded to shoot ice spikes all through my house. . . sigh. . . oh well. Here is, the next chapter!!!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XVIII: Freed from the Darkness, Sheba's Sacrifice  
  
The people of Imil advanced through the flames, and were immediately bombarded by several earthquakes. Diving to the ground, they used a new tactic. Seeing the Vale army in trenches gave them an idea.  
  
The few of them that were left summoned up their Psynergy. "Deluge!"  
  
A tidal wave of water swept across the city, and straight into the trenches, drowning quite a few soldiers. Those who got out of the trenches in time advanced, attempting to gain the advantage of superior numbers in melee combat.  
  
Sheba watched the scene with a slight disinterest. She was only worried about Dark Garet. She had come up with a plan, but it was extremely risky. Risky to the point, that had any of her companions been there, they would have forbade her from doing it.  
  
Dark Garet watched with disinterest at the battle also. He was waiting for someone to attempt to attack him. "Pathetic little worms. . ." he trailed off, watching as Vale's superior numbers began to take their effect upon the last of his drained soldiers. He saw them being cut down, and wondered when they would try to swamp him.  
  
Sheba saw the last Imil soldier fall, bleeding heavily from a slash across the chest. The army looked around for a new target, but found only one. Dark Garet. They hesitantly discussed whether or not to attack.  
  
Dark Garet was getting tired of waiting. After all that fighting, the entire army looked like it might chicken out of fighting him. "Come on. . ." he muttered under his breath, his impatience showing as small blades of grass around him began to slowly light fire.  
  
Finally, the army came to the decision, that if enough of them could engage in hand-to-hand, Dark Garet wouldn't stand a chance. So, betting on their strength in numbers, they charged.  
  
"This is my chance" Sheba said to herself. "I just have to get close enough to him during the confusion to touch him. Easier said than done." She smiled, then jumped off the burning wall, and behind the fray.  
  
"INCOMING! HIT THE DECK!" Isaac yelled, diving to the ground. A split second later, three searing beams came streaking overhead, burning anyone unfortunate enough to still be standing.  
  
"Buh-jeezus!" Isaac muttered. "This isn't looking good."  
  
He stood up and looked over the ramparts. The three Sentinels just kept moving closer. "Alright, use whatever you have, but remember, Psynergy won't work!"  
  
The army attempted to attack. Several people shot arrows, some threw rocks, one or two even used Psynergy to chuck boulders at them.  
  
Unfortunately, none of it worked. The Sentinels still moved forward with the same grim certainty.  
  
"Alright, it's time to try something new!" Isaac plotted. "I need half of you down with me at the lowest chamber of the lighthouse!"  
  
He rushed downstairs, soon followed by several soldiers.  
  
"Ok, what we need is some rope" Isaac explained. "If we can rope them and bring 'em down, then I can hack away at them without worry."  
  
The soldiers stared at him like he was insane.  
  
"What?" Isaac said menacingly. "Anyone have any better ideas?!" he laid his hand on his sword hilt. Not surprisingly, no one did.  
  
Up on the ramparts, Mia was desperately tending to the wounded. "Calm down, I can't heal everyone, even with my wish spells!" she tried to get the soldiers to stop dumping off people to her so quickly.  
  
She was beginning to feel drained. The Sentinels really knew how to pour the heat on.  
  
"Lady Mia!" a soldier called.  
  
"I can't heal you, I'm busy!" she screeched back.  
  
"No, Lady Mia, look!" he pointed over the ramparts.  
  
Mia looked over, and saw several thick ropes attached to one of the Sentinels, a soldier pulling at the other end of each one. Isaac stood in the midst of it, Sol Blade shining red, just waiting to unleash.  
  
"What can you possibly be thinking?" she muttered, smiling at his brave ingenuity.  
  
"Look out!" Mia barely hit the ground in time, as another searing beam smashed against the wall of the lighthouse.   
  
"Well, I hope it works. . ." she muttered under her breath, then went back to healing the wounded.  
  
Sheba slowly advanced on the mass of warriors, trying not to be noticed. She watched as warrior after warrior was thrown into the air, smoldering, burnt beyond recognition. She shuddered, she couldn't possibly imagine the pain they were in.  
  
As she got closer, she dove to the ground, and began to crawl. Slowly, she worked her way through the mass of surging bodies, noticing that less and less people were swarmed around him. She paused, to wipe the sweat off of her face, it was getting way too hot around Dark Garet, and she had the feeling that in a few minutes, he might just explode in Psynergy.  
  
Looking around, she noticed that only a dozen of her soldiers remained. She pressed on, as Dark Garet eliminated all but three of them. Then she saw what she was seeking: a pair of black, smooth boots, spikes sticking out of the toes and the heels.  
  
As Dark Garet picked up the last remaining warrior, and burnt the flesh from his face, she stood up.  
  
"MIND READ!" Sheba entered Dark Garet's mind, just as he turned to see her. Inside, she found quite a mess. Dark Garet was rampaging about, while Garet sat locked in a corner, unable to move. Sheba ran past Dark Garet in a blur, and broke Garet's prison. Sheba and Garet pooled their strength together, and began to fight Dark Garet within the confines of his mind.  
  
"TIMBER!" Isaac yelled, as the first Sentinel started to tip, and then hit the ground with an earth-shattering thud. The Sentinel turned it's face upward, to look at what was happening, and was met by Isaac.  
  
"MEGIDDO!" the Sentinel's head was crushed in, and then the rest of it's body completely crumbled away.  
  
"One down!" Isaac yelled. "Let's get another!"  
  
At the throne of Anemos, Dark Stalfas sat displeased. "Hmph" he let out his dismay. "So they've learned how to take down a Sentinel or two? Fine!"  
  
He turned to his attendants. "Send in the army! They can't fight both at once!"  
  
He looked back at his war map, and the small figurines representing armies and troop strength, and then tipped over the enemy's piece. "They shall fall."  
  
GET OUT OF HERE! Dark Garet boomed inside his head, while being beaten upon by both Sheba and Garet. The battle was fierce inside there, and Dark Garet was beginning to realize for the first time exactly what a monster he was, as he tried to fend off Garet's attacks.  
  
Dressed in the exact same clothes and armor, they looked almost exactly he same. Even Garet's eyes had glazed over with rage, making them the same color as Dark Garet's. And it was all Sheba's fault, for setting him free.  
  
She was sitting back and casting support spells like resist and impact, while Garet pounded Dark Garet mercilessly.  
  
AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!! Dark Garet roared in pain, a blow from Garet's Darksword had hit home, creating a giant gash across his chest.  
  
Yes! Sheba quickly cast another impact, knowing that Garet's strength might run out soon, it had been a long battle.  
  
Garet mercilessly plunged his sword into Dark Garet, until Dark Garet was just a bleeding mass of flesh. But the Garet dropped, dead tired, and Dark Garet attempted to start an offensive. Unable, Dark Garet had a fiendish plan.  
  
Out in the real world, Dark Garet ventured quickly, looking as fast as he could, less his plan be discovered. It took him only a second to spot Sheba, eyes closed in meditation, concentrating on the battle within.  
  
With a mighty thrust, he stuck his Darksword through Sheba's gut, effectively carrying her out of Mind Read range.  
  
Inside his head, Sheba disappeared almost instantaneously. Garet rushed to the surface to see what was happening, and, looking upon the scene, was devastated. He saw Sheba's small form, somehow hanging off of a mammoth Darksword, unable to Mind Read to help Garet out.  
  
Dark Garet roared with laughter again, the awful sound resounding throughout the ruined city. But then, something he did not expect happened. He had been waiting for Sheba to pull herself off the sword, and then flee while Garet and Dark Garet still battled internally.  
  
To his surprise, Sheba gripped the blade, and then, with a grunt of pain, began sliding herself farther down the blade.  
  
NO! Garet cried within his mind. Sheba! Don't do it! I can handle him on my own. . . He realized it was futile, and hung his head in defeat, waiting for Sheba to reappear in his mind.  
  
Sheba pulled herself a full two feet farther down the blade, coughing up blood, a determined gleam in her eyes.   
  
"M-mind. . . read" she managed to stutter, and once more entered Dark Garet's head.  
  
Once inside, she worked as quickly as possible. "HIGH IMPACT!" she shouted, giving Garet the last strength he needed.  
  
Garet sank his sword deep into Dark Garet's helmet, and, with a cry as inhuman as his laughter, Dark Garet disappeared in thousands of beams of light.  
  
"Sheba!" Garet cried, no longer in his head. He threw off his evil helmet, and immediately set the sword down, letting Sheba rest in the grass. "Sheba! Talk to me!"  
  
"G-Garet. . ." she started, but then coughed up blood. Garet opened his mouth to tell her not to waste her strength, but she stopped him. "Garet. . ." she managed again. "I-I'm. . . too far gone."  
  
"No" Garet said softly. "I've already killed Felix, I can't let you die too!"  
  
"I-it wasn't you. . ." Sheba replied, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "It was. . . that monster. F-find. . . Isaac, and Mia. . ."  
  
Garet's eyes flashed angrily.  
  
"N-no. . . you d-don't understand. . ." Sheba's voice got raspier and raspier. "M-Mia. . . sh-she's all. . . broken up. . . over you. . . She w-wouldn't even. . . talk at first. . . She still. . . l-loves you. . . Go to her. . ."  
  
"Are you sure?" Garet asked, and Sheba nodded her head, grimacing with pain.  
  
"They. . . are in C-Contigo. . . g-go" and so Sheba uttered her last words, and as her heart stopped, she saw a blinding light, and from it, Ivan stepped out, beckoning her to the entry.  
  
Garet felt Sheba's body go completely limp. After a few minutes of mourning, he decided to give Sheba a proper burial.  
  
He dug a small hole in the ground, large enough for a pot to fit into, then cremated her, and carefully placed the urn of her ashes in the hole, and buried it.   
  
"Rest in peace" he said, eyes tearing up. "I won't forget what you did for me."  
  
After inspecting the armor he was wearing, he found it to actually be of good quality, and truly impressive makeup. He decided to keep it. Calling forth his Psynergy, he burned bright red and orange flames onto the armor, so it was not black and menacing, but rather looked like flames licking a pure black night sky.  
  
Turning toward Vault, he set off, with two things on his mind, finding Mia, and getting revenge on Alex, for what he made him do. 


	20. Help is on the Way

Serac: NA doesn't own Golden Sun.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Ok then, I got sick, but I am finally back on! I think I have a few days to make up for! I'll try to, since today and tomorrow are early releases from school!  
  
Serac: You better make up for those sick days!  
  
Nightmare Alex: Relax! I said I would! Today I give out King Size 3 Musketeer bars! One for: Great Saiyaman, The Faction's Lord, QueenDragonGoddess, and Berserker1. Enjoy!  
  
Great Saiyaman: Well, we'll see what the ending has in store for us later. . .  
  
TFL: Sorry I forgot to include the divider. I might start if I can remember.  
  
QDG: Thank you again for the praise! While it's not everyone's cup of tea, I still try to do Garet/Mia. . .  
  
Berserker1: After reading your profile and your review, I think I'm honored, cuz apparently I didn't do much wrong, and you say you are harsh. I was worried about rushing that, but I put it behind me. . . Thanks for the review.  
  
Nightmare Alex: Enjoy the chapter!  
  
********************************************************************************************  
  
Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XIX: Help is on the Way  
  
"We got them now!" Isaac yelled, watching the second Sentinel fall to the ground. "MEGIDDO!"  
  
The Sentinel crumbled into dust.  
  
Mia ran back and forth, trying to get the wounded to safety, still on the ramparts.  
  
"Lady Mia!" a soldier yelled.  
  
"What now?" she muttered under her breath. "Yes?"  
  
"Look into the distance!" Mia turned to face the soldier, and found a face full of fear.  
  
Looking out into the distance, she saw a vast army approaching at lightning speed.   
  
"Oh nooooo" she moaned. "Not now!" As she continued watching, she saw something even worse. There were two gigantic figures, obviously Sentinels, approaching with the army.  
  
"Warn Isaac! Then gather all of the troops that you can spare to and send them down as reinforcements!" Mia commanded.  
  
Down on the ground, Isaac's regiment had just finished destroying the last Sentinel. A victory cry rose form the crowd.  
  
"Lord Isaac!" a messenger ran quickly to his side, followed by a large amount of reinforcements.  
  
"First of all, don't call me Lord" Isaac said, annoyed. "I don't like the sound of that. Secondly, what is going on?"  
  
"In the distance Isaac! Enemies approach!" He pointed out to a growing mass of dark forms. "Lady Mia said to inform you and bring reinforcements!"  
  
"Crap!" Isaac saw the massive forms of two more Sentinels. "We are never going to survive at this rate! Tell Mia to evacuate the tower and follow us!"  
  
Isaac rallied his troops and fled into the forest. The messenger ran into the tower and relayed the message.  
  
"Thank goodness!" she let out a sigh of relief. "If we had to fight anymore we would have been eliminated for sure! Come on! Carry all the wounded that you can!"  
  
The army escaped into the woods safely, and, just minutes later, Anemian warriors were crawling over every inch of Jupiter lighthouse, looking for signs of life. All they found were fallen soldiers, however, and they soon grew frustrated.  
  
Back in the Anemian throne room, Dark Stalfas was growing annoyed.  
  
"What do you mean, they disappeared?!" he shouted at his informants. "NO ARMY CAN JUST DISAPPEAR AT WILL!"  
  
He let out his rage by punching the informant, sending the small fellow flying.  
  
"I WANT THEM FOUND NOW!" Storm clouds began to appear near the ceiling. "SEARCH EVERY FOREST, EVERY SHORLINE, EVERY MOUNTAIN!"  
  
The last few words were emphasized with claps of thunder. The informant scuttled off fearfully, not wanting to feel the king's wrath again.  
  
Dark Stalfas calmed down. "It seems our little game is not over yet. But mark my words, it will end soon!" He stood Isaac's piece on his war board back up, and then, promptly fried it with a spark of Psynergy.  
  
Near Tolbi, Garet trudged on. He had forgotten how much boring walking he had to do during an adventure. Sure, there were monsters, but they were puny compared to his Psynergy.  
  
When he entered the city, he was surprised to see that all of the citizens rushed to their houses and locked their doors.  
  
"What's up with everyone today?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Just after saying it, he realized the answer.  
  
"Of course, I probably have a lot of news stories on me now, what with burning down four cities and all" he removed his helmet, showing his face.  
  
Nonetheless, the people of Tolbi were still frightened by this behemoth in fierce armor. Garet approached the palace, and the guards fled indoors upon seeing him.  
  
"Some guards they are" he muttered, then knocked on the door. "Will somebody let me in? I need to see Iodem."  
  
When no reply came, Garet sighed.  
  
"Why always the hard way?" he asked, almost blowing the door off its hinges with a flick his wrist.  
  
Two terrified guards sat against the wall.  
  
"I NEED to speak with Iodem" Garet repeated, and this time, was led to his chamber.  
  
"Lord Iodem!" the guards caught his attention. "A strange visitor has arrived, and demands to speak with you!"  
  
"Tell him I am b-" Iodem stopped as his eyes fell upon the giant in the shadows. "W-who are you?"  
  
"Come on Iodem, you know me!" Garet stepped into the light.  
  
"Is that, Garet? From so long ago?" Iodem questioned. "What are you doing in that evil-looking armor?"  
  
"Long story Iodem" Garet replied. "But I need your help. Can you give me a boat, and a good crew? I have to find Isaac and Mia."  
  
"Your services would do better on this continent" Iodem answered plainly. "The people if Imil are on the attack, led by an enormous man in. . . black. . . armor. . ." he paused as he realized the truth.  
  
"Garet?" he asked, "Was that you?"  
  
Garet nodded slowly. "I was taken over by Alex, the man behind all of the destruction in the world today. He enslaved me and used me to destroy." Seeing Iodem's eyes flash with fear he quickly said "But he can't control me now. And the army of Imil is gone. So I need to find Isaac and Mia, in order to help them!"  
  
"Garet," Iodem paused, "it is foolhardy to set out on a uest that will only bring such despair. . ."  
  
"But it might not bring despair!" Garet shouted. "If I was there, I might be able to shift the balance!"  
  
"You and Isaac are so much alike. . ." Iodem trailed off. "I cannot fathom why you think you can change the world now. But I cannot resist your strong wills. Take the boat, and the crew. I hope you will accomplish your mission."  
  
"Thank you Iodem" Garet replied. "And you'll get all of your crew back, as well as the boat."  
  
And with that, Iodem summoned a crew, and Garet put his helmet back on. When the crew was briefed, they set off to the docks.  
  
Two days later, Isaac sat asleep, his back against a tree. He had desperately needed some sleep, until Mia and the soldiers had literally forced him to rest.  
  
Mia was out with a small patrol, scouting the area to make sure no Anemians were getting too close to their positions.  
  
A noise in the brush nearby woke him with a start, and out of reflex he immediately unsheathed his Sol Blade and stabbed blindly at the noise.  
  
The rather unfortunate Anemian scout let out one small groan, then slipped off of Isaac's blade.  
  
A second later, Mia and the scouting party entered through the other side of the clearing.  
  
"Isaac, we have to-"  
  
"-leave this place now?" he finished her sentence.  
  
"How'd you know?" she asked. Isaac motioned towards the dead scout. "Oh. I think we should move faster."  
  
Almost immediately the army was on the move again. For two whole days they had never stopped for more than two hours at a time. It was really wearing them all down.  
  
The Anemian scouts were extremely fast, and then, there were always the Sentinels, lumbering around, trying to find their prey.  
  
And so the army charged blindly onward, through the forest, praying for another few hours of rest before they had to run again.  
  
On the western coast of Angara, Garet sat, thinking. It had taken them two days to cross the mountains, and he had only planned for one. What if his friends were in trouble right now? He couldn't just sit around.  
  
"Let's get moving!" he commanded. "We've got no time to waste! We set sail in one hour!" 


	21. Reunited

Golden Sun: The Alchemy Wars  
  
Chapter XX: Reunited  
  
"Why don't these boats move any faster!?" Garet demanded, his anger apparent. He felt that it would only take a little while to cross the sea on such sleek looking, powerful boats.  
  
"Sir, we can't move any faster without a good wind!" a sailor snapped. "Besides, we're nearly there!"  
  
"DON'T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME!" Garet roared, venting upon the unfortunate man. "I'LL CLEAVE YOU IN TWO! MY FRIENDS' LIVES, AS WELL AS THE WORLD, HANG IN THE BALANCE!"  
  
The terrified sailor scurried away as embers began to emanate from Garet, blowing away as the boat moved forward.  
  
"Hey, Sparky!" some brave soul yelled. Garet's eyes turned upon the man, who was rather short, but also muscular. The perfect rower. "Calm down Sparky! We can't have you ju-" his sentence was cut short, as his burning corpse was propelled off the boat by a heat wave of enormous magnitude.  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT!?" Garet raged, unaware of what he did, only noticing that everyone had stopped. "GET MOVING!!!"  
  
The crew immediately continued, aware that the other two boats had pulled ahead of them.  
  
"WE CAN'T BE LATE!" Garet shouted, emphasizing his point. "NOW SPEED UP!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mia, we can't go much farther!" Isaac whispered hurriedly, keeping his voice low. "The army needs rest!"  
  
"We can't stop now! I can still hear the Sentinel's footsteps! The Anemians can't be far behind either!" Mia presented her side of the argument.  
  
"Yes, but at this rate we won't even be able to fight-" Isaac dropped off as they ran out of the woods straight into a beach.  
  
"I don't think we can run anymore" Mia said, staring out at the great blue expanse.  
  
"This," Isaac paused, looking for what to say. "This just isn't good" he concluded.  
  
"Brilliant deduction" Mia said harshly, then regretting it. "Sorry, its just, I can hear them coming now, and we have no where to go. . ."  
  
"Then we stand our ground!" Isaac said heroically, drawing his Sol Blade.  
  
"Very well" Mia responded gloomily. "Draw your weapons! Draw your weapons! We make our stand here!' She brandished her staff. As she did, she nearly dropped it, and the crystal at the end tapped against something hard on her finger.  
  
"Oh. . ." looking down, she saw it was the engagement ring Garet had given her. "I wish you were here. . ." she whispered.  
  
She had no time for more thoughts however, as the first group of scouts came running blindly out of the woods, and straight into the swords and spears of the defenders.  
  
They fell back and regrouped, surprised. A few went back into the woods to find the rest of the Anemians, while the rest charged anew.  
  
"We've got our work cut out for us. . ." Isaac muttered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Garet was pacing the deck, unable to shake the worried feeling he had. Rather tired of waiting, he looked out towards their destination. To his surprise, this time he actually saw something in the distance.  
  
"You, sailor!" Garet called.  
  
"What?" the man responded, not sure if Garet was angry or not.  
  
"Am I crazy, or is that land?" Garet asked, completely serious.  
  
The sailor almost laughed aloud, but seeing Garet's serious expression, restrained. He peered out across the sea.  
  
"Yes I believe that is!" he concluded. "Shouldn't be more than an hour!"  
  
"YES!" Garet cried, his mind set on reaching the island. "PICK UP THE PACE! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Isaac stumbled backwards, caught off guard by a swift strike from another Anemian. He quickly recovered, and knocking the blade aside with his Cosmos Shield, ran the little soldier through. Quickly pulling his Sol Blade out, he rolled backwards, as yet another warrior confronted him.  
  
Mia ducked a stab coming from a unusually tall Anemian. Twirling her staff, she brought the crystal down hard upon his head. The warrior crumpled from the force, then disintegrated as the magic of the staff ripped him apart. Blocking another blow, she called forth her Psynergy.  
  
"GLACIER!" Anemians were frozen on the spot, trapped in ice. She tapped her staff against it a few times, and it crumbled to pieces, Anemians and all.  
  
Isaac desperately swung his Sol Blade in a blind arc. Though he was the superior fighter, the Anemians had keyed in on him, isolating him from the rest of the army.  
  
"For the love of Weyard. . ." he panted, another blow clanging off is Xylion Armor. "QUAKE SPHERE!"  
  
The Anemians went flying through the air, most landing on fallen weapons, cutting or impaling themselves. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief, feeling battered from the constant assault.  
  
"Getting sleepy?" Isaac heard the gruff voice taunt, just before a heavy mace smashed up against his helm. Isaac flew forward a few feet, stunned from the impact. Opening his eyes, a large figure blocked out the light of the sun.  
  
"Caught so off guard, you must be tired." Isaac rolled to the side, just barely dodging the mace as it came down again. He couldn't stand up fast enough. He had to keep rolling out of the way of the mace.  
  
"Not so fast!" the menacing figure said as he was rolling, thrusting a sword right next to Isaac, forcing him to stop.  
  
"Nowhere to go now. . ." the soldier laughed with wicked delight. The mace came down, in slow motion. Isaac saw all the events of his life pass before his eyes.  
  
His birth, childhood in Vale, friends Garet, Jenna, Felix, the night the Mt. Aleph boulder had fallen, studying Psynergy, the secret of Sol Sanctum, his quest to save the world, fighting Saturos and Menardi atop the Venus Lighthouse, searching for Jenna and Lemuria, the catastrophe at Jupiter Lighthouse, joining with Felix, the final battle atop Mars Lighthouse, rebuilding Vale, the night he proposed to Jenna, her death, all the memories were brought back.  
  
He opened his eyes, wondering why he had not been killed yet. Upon looking at the figure, he saw an enormous sword protruding from his chest.  
  
"What the?" Isaac said aloud, he knew no one who could handle a sword that large. No one but. . .  
  
"Come on Isaac!" a familiar voice laughed, "Don't die now! You're supposed to be last anyway!"  
  
"Garet?" Isaac was helped up by his best friend. "It is you! Garet, what are you doing here? Jeez, I can't believe it!"  
  
"Believe it!" Garet said, thrusting his Darksword right by Isaac's face, impaling another soldier. "But be more careful!"  
  
"Sure, no problem." Isaac grinned, happy to see Garet again. They joined the fray side by side, quickly dispatching all who dared oppose them.  
  
The Anemians retreated, falling back when they realized the odds had tipped into the defenders' favor.  
  
"Well, that was a job well done Garet!" Isaac exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, but its not quite done yet I don't think" Garet said, pointing above the trees. Another Sentinel was making its way over.  
  
"Just great!" Isaac said. "We've had to deal with too many of these things, how are we gonna bring this one down?"  
  
"I believe I have the solution to that. . ." Garet smiled broadly. "The people of Loho were more than happy to give us one the cannons they constructed from the old one. Just try to distract the big lumbering thing."  
  
"Are you serious?" Isaac asked with disbelief. Garet nodded. "Wow, ok, I can do that."  
  
"Good" Garet responded, and raced off in the directions of the ship.  
  
Isaac ran to tell Mia the plan.  
  
Mia watched the army retreat. Looking around, she saw Isaac running towards her.  
  
He breezed right by, only yelling at her "Come on! We have to distract the Sentinel! Garet has a plan!"  
  
Mia stood, shocked at what she had just heard. 'Garet?' she thought. 'Did I just hear that? I couldn't have, oh wait, why am I standing around?' She rushed off to help Isaac.  
  
Back on the ships, Garet and the crew were aiming the cannon at the Sentinel. "Come on Isaac, just stop it for one second. . ."  
  
Isaac blasted the Sentinel with his Sol Blade, causing it to stagger. "All right Garet, do your stuff."  
  
"Look sir!" a sailor yelled, "the creature, it's stopped!"  
  
"Here goes nothing!" Garet loaded the magma ball into the cannon and lit it with a small flare.  
  
An enormous boom resounded throughout the air, and the magma ball flew at lightning speed, crashing into the Sentinel's helmet. It exploded in blasts of fire, and from the shores, the army cheered. Garet hopped off the ship and went to find Isaac.  
  
Mia approached Isaac as soon as the Sentinel was gone.  
  
"Isaac?" she questioned, and he turned towards her. "What did you say earlier? I could've sworn you said Garet. . . but. . ."  
  
"Oh, right." Isaac took a deep breath. "Garet is back."  
  
"What?!" Mia squeaked. "That's not even funny!"  
  
"It's no joke!" Isaac said firmly. "He came back and rescued me, there was no time, the Sentinel was coming. I'm sure he's looking for you right now. . ."  
  
Mia's eyes welled up with tears, to think that Garet was actually here. 'Has he come back for me?' she thought. 'That's stupid.' she corrected herself. 'Why would he come back? After what I did to him. . .'  
  
"Mia?" Isaac questioned, "are you all right?"  
  
"I. . . I need to think!" Mia ran off without waiting for a response.  
  
"Mia! Mia!" Isaac called, but to no avail, Mia was already gone.  
  
Garet popped up just a second later. "Hey Isaac, I was just wondering, I have some stuff to clear up with Mia. . ."  
  
Isaac looked at the ground. "She was just here, I told her you were back and looking for her, and she looked like she was about to cry, then she ran off. . ."  
  
"To where?" Garet demanded.  
  
"That way, off into the woods. It's dangerous out there, be careful." Isaac replied, pointing in the direction Mia had run.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm worried about Mia" Garet flashed a grin, and then raced off into the woods, intent of finding Mia.  
  
Isaac watched with uncertainty. 'What the heck just happened?' he wondered. Last time he checked, Mia loved Garet, so why had she run?  
  
"I don't think I'll ever understand those two. . ." he muttered under his breath. "Oh well, I'll hope for the best. Gotta rejoin the army, who knows what they're thinking after this battle."  
  
He walked off towards the coast.  
  
Deeper in the woods, Garet slowed down, aware that by running blindly, he was never going to catch Mia. He looked around, tried to find signs of her passing, but to no avail. For the next hour, he slowly searched for her. Frustrated, he leaned against a tree, completely silent.  
  
He suddenly heard a soft sound, a person weeping. Carefully moving toward the sound, he looked out from behind a tree, to see Mia sitting on a stump, crying. He was about to come out from behind the tree, when Mia spoke.  
  
"He probably hates me. . ." she managed between sobs. "I'm not good enough for him. . . He ran away because of me. . . How could he still love me?" She collapsed in tears.  
  
"That's not true. . ." Mia looked up, startled. She couldn't see through the tears in her eyes. "Isaac? Just go away, I need to be left alone!"  
  
"He doesn't hate you at all. . ." she felt big arms wrap around her. She struggled slightly, the stopped. That wasn't Isaac's voice. . .  
  
"G-Garet?" she questioned, looking up, still unable to discern his features through her tears.  
  
"Yes. . ." Garet said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I've come back for you. . ."  
  
"Oh, Garet!" she buried her face in his embrace and continued to cry. "Are you mad?"  
  
"No, not at all" Garet said, stroking her hair. "It's all right. Everything will be fine."  
  
Mia looked up again, and Garet brushed away her tears. "So, then, you'll stay with me?" Mia questioned, in an almost shocked manner.  
  
"Of course I'll stay" Garet said, smiling, then standing. "But we better get back to the army, after all, we can't just leave all them alone, who knows what they'll do to themselves?" he grinned broadly.  
  
Mia laughed, and they walked back in the general direction of the shore. 


End file.
